Return to Neverland
by Simple. Plain. and. Color
Summary: A visitor comes to Storybrooke with an interesting family history. Who is she and why is she so important? Set a few days before Episode 3.07 "Dark Hollow"
1. The Visitor

**Hey everyone! This is first Once Upon A Time fic so I hope you all like it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time**

* * *

"You sure this is your stop?" the bus driver asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," the girl confirmed.

"I hope," she muttered under her breath.

The bus driver opened the doors and the girl stepped outside. She stared blankly at the empty road leading into the forest as the bus drove away.

It was a nice day for a walk, but she didn't know how far this "Storybrooke" was. She reached into her side bag and pulled out her cellphone.

The phone rang and rang until it reached voicemail. "Again?" she complained.

Putting her phone back in the bag, she walked along the paved road.

30 minutes went by and the scenery was unchanged: trees, bushes, and the same carless road. All of a sudden she felt this surge of energy and she noticed a sign that was surely not there before. It read, _Welcome to Storybrooke_.

She pulled out her phone again and when no one answered, she decided to send a text.

**Hey Dad. Made it to Storybrooke. Where do we meet?**

She sent the text and continued walking for about another half an hour before seeing civilization again. It was a welcoming city, and it had that happy feeling. Growls came from her stomach and she needed some food in her system, stat. Up ahead she could see a group of men walking together with pick axes over their shoulders and whistling to the tune of Heigh Ho. She approached the group and their whistling dropped as soon as they saw her.

"Hi there, I don't mean to bother you, but I just spent five hours on a bus and another hour walking here. Do you know where I can get something to eat?"

"Of course! Granny's is a wonderful diner down the street," the man, surprisingly shorter than her, said gleefully.

"Thanks!" The girl smiled and headed down the street.

"Do you know who that was?" Happy asked.

"I don't think I've ever seen her in my life," Grumpy stated.

"Or any of my lives for the matter," he added and all the other dwarves agreed.

"She said she took a bus and walked here. I thought Belle's spell cloaked Storybrooke and repelled people from the outside," Doc mentioned.

"That's what I thought too," Grumpy said.

"What do you-" Sneezy said before sneezing, "suppose we do?"

"Inform Mother Superior. Then we're going to grab a bite to eat."

* * *

"Are you planning on going somewhere?" Henry asked.

"Yes, actually," Pan replied as he continued to pack his backpack.

"Are you going to tell me where?"

"I don't recall you ever being so interested in my travels before."

"Every time you leave camp you never have a backpack with you," Henry pointed out.

"Just some business I need to take care of," Pan said as he closed his bag. "Let's just say I'm going to visit a friend."

Pan swung the bag over his shoulders and walked away from Henry, ending their conversation. He met up with Felix who was patiently waiting on the outskirts of the camp.

"You know what to do?" Pan asked Felix, who nodded.

"Just make sure nothing goes wrong while I'm gone and don't be afraid to play a few games yourself with our guests. And if it gets that bad you know where I'll be."

The two boys dispersed and headed in opposite directions.

* * *

Felix and his group of Lost Boys went on a little excursion and happened to run into Emma and co.

"Fancy running into you all," Felix greeted nonchalantly.

"Can't say the same to you," Neal said.

"What do you want?" Charming asked, sword automatically raised at the boys.

"I know we've had some... past encounters, but that doesn't mean we always want something. We don't want any trouble. We're teenagers. We need to get out and about."

"Pan always seems to, playing his little game," Hook spat.

"Where is Pan?" Snow asked, carefully inspecting the boys.

"He's not with us right now," Felix said, trying to be careful of his wording.

"What, do you mean he's dead?" Neal asked.

"We can't be too lucky now can we Bae," Hook said sarcastically, Neal a little annoyed from being called Bae.

"That still doesn't answer our question," Emma piped in.

"He's currently on the other side of the island visiting a friend," Felix half lied as he had short stare-down with Emma.

"Then if it's all the same to you, we'll be on our way," Hook said politely.

"See ya around." And with that the Lost Boys disappeared.

"That wasn't suspicious at all," Hook said sarcastically.

"Emma, don't suppose your super power could tell if Felix was lying," Snow hoped.

"He wasn't lying," Emma said sadly. "But he's also not telling the truth. The way he said it made it sound as if he was cautious in what he said."

"I don't think Pan is here," Emma concluded.

"And you're positive about that," Neal asked.

"Yeah, and if I'm wrong, we still have to take that chance."

"I'm with Emma," Charming supported. "Let's go get Henry."

* * *

Pan reached his destination and breathed in the morning air.

"Ah, Storybrooke," he said to himself as he walked through the streets and took in the sight of the town.

Across the street from where he was standing was Granny's diner and an evil smile grew on his smug face as he watched his old friend enter through the doors.


	2. A Long Way Home

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* * *

The doors to Granny's diner opened and the bells rang through the small business. The girl sat in one of the chairs next to the counter and patiently waited for the waiter.

"Hi, how may I help you," the waitress asked with a pen and paper in hand.

"I'll have some pancakes with a side order of bacons and eggs, please," the girl replied as she handed back the breakfast menu.

"Anything to drink?"

"Water's fine."

The waitress left and came back the food a few minutes later.

"Here you go."

The girl was in the process of drenching her pancakes with syrup when she noticed the waitress was still there.

"Sorry to bother you, I'm Ruby by the way," she introduced.

"Jane," she said as they shook hands.

"I don't think I've seen you in town before. Do you live here?"

The girl took a small bite and swallowed before replying, "No, I'm just visiting."

"Visiting? From where?" Ruby asked. From what she knew and everyone else in Storybrooke, visitors weren't supposed to come.

"Pennsylvania."

Ruby looked around and didn't see anyone who could be acquainted with the girl.

"Pennsylvania is quite a long way home. Are you here alone?"

"Yeah. I was supposed to meet my dad here, but I can't find him anywhere and he hasn't picked up on his cell phone at all the last few days," Jane explained.

"Well if your dad is here, I might know him. In Storybrooke nearly everyone knows each other. What's his name?"

"Greg Mendell."

Ruby had a horror look on her face as well as everyone else who heard Jane's reply in the diner. An elderly woman came from the back room and joined Ruby.

"Hi there, I'm Granny, the owner of this fine establishment. Is there a problem?" she asked, noticing Ruby's frightened expression.

"This is Jane, she's looking for her father, Greg Mendell," Ruby said Greg's name through gritted teeth.

"Your father is Greg Mendell?" Granny asked surprised and terrified.

"Well, he's my adoptive father. He and his "fiancé," Tamara, adopted me when I was 8," Jane explained. "You know him?" She quickly added.

"As a matter of fact we know _both_ of them," Ruby replied.

"Really?" Jane asked relieved. "Do you know where they are? They left me in Pennsylvania about two weeks ago and gave me instructions to come to this location as soon as he gave the "okay.""

"I'm sorry, they're not here," Ruby said.

"What do you mean they're not here? Did they leave me, _again_?" Jane sounded worried and afraid.

"Oh no. I didn't mean it like that," Ruby quickly reassured. She didn't know if this kid was playing some sort of game with them considering all the tricks her dad had up his sleeve, but she had to make something up for now. "They left the town yesterday for some personal business. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"In the meantime, you can stay at the inn. No charge," Granny offered.

"Okay," Jane said, calming herself down. "Thanks so much for letting me stay, that's very kind of you."

"Why don't you help Jane get settled in, show her around town," Ruby said to Granny, noticing Mother Superior and the dwarves approaching the diner.

"Of course," Granny replied then turned to Jane, "Do you have anything with you?"

"Just this," Jane said holding up her bag.

"Well that is just unacceptable! After we get your room we're going to go straight to the store to buy you some more clothes and supplies," Granny laughed as they left the diner.

* * *

"Whoa there," Hook said, stopping the prince.

"Is there a problem?" Charming asked.

"Yes, there is. We can't get Henry right now."

"Why not?" Emma argued.

"Pan's not here right now, this could be our only chance," Snow added.

"Yes, Pan might not be here now, but he won't be gone for long. Even if we get Henry before he gets here, Pan will just take him back. We need that escape plan," Hook explained.

"Neal?" Emma asked.

"Pan's shadow," Neal responded.

"That's your way off the island?" Emma asked.

"Unfortunately it's only way."

* * *

Once Granny and Jane disappeared from Ruby's view, Mother Superior and the dwarves entered.

"Hey Ruby, we're looking for a teenage girl about yay high, wearing a beret and a quite stylish outfit," Grumpy said.

Ruby laughed at Grumpy's description. "Don't worry, I know who you're talking about. She just left with Granny a few minutes ago."

"Then do you know who she is?" Grumpy asked.

"Name's Jane, and you won't believe who her father is."

The dwarves remained silent for Ruby to go on.

"Greg Mendell."

"He's her father?" Grumpy asked in disbelief.

"Well, adoptive father," Ruby clarified.

"Adopted or not that blasted creep kidnapped Henry, and helped kill Neal. Whatever the reason she's here for it can't be good," Grumpy said.

"I don't know Grumpy, she had that same look in her eyes as Henry's when he found out Emma and Snow fell through that portal," Ruby explained.

"Well right now we can't be entirely sure," Mother Superiors said. "Until then, no one uses magic or even speaks of the true identity of Storybrooke. Ruby, I'm appointing you as Jane's temporary guardian."

"Copy that," Ruby saluted as Mother Superior left while the dwarves stuck around for some food.

"You guys really think Jane is up to something?" Ruby asked the dwarves.

"Yeah, I mean, why else would she come to Storybrooke?" Grumpy asked.

"Maybe she's just doing what Greg told her to do. It doesn't seem like they get much family time."

"And who knows what else Greg instructed her to do."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I believe Jane is on our side."

"How can you be so sure?" Grumpy asked.

Ruby shrugged. "I'm not, but I'm going to have to go with my gut feeling. And if she does know something, she could help us save Henry along with the others. It's been two days. I can't sit around any longer waiting for them to come back, not knowing what dangers they could be in."

"I know it's hard watching from the side lines, but they're a tough group. As for Jane, that's your decision. You're her temporary guardian. As long as Storybrooke remains a city and not a forest, you do what you think is best."


	3. Thailand

A few hours later, Jane came back to the diner for lunch and sat alone in a booth. Ruby, noticing Jane, walked towards the booth and sat on the opposite side.

"Hey there. How are you liking Storybrooke?" Ruby asked.

"Great! Granny showed me around town and even bought me a whole new wardrobe. To be honest I thought I would just be here for day or two."

"Well you might be staying here for much longer," Ruby told Jane.

"Why is that?" Jane questioned.

"In the time Greg and Tamara spent here in Storybrooke, we learned they could be... unpredictable, but do you know why Greg wanted you to come here?" Ruby then asked.

Jane shook her head, "All I know is that he sent me a text two days ago saying that I need to come to Storybrooke. He also told me to say this phrase, but _only_ when he was with me."

Jane whipped out her phone and showed Ruby the text, which read,_ I believe_.

"I don't mean to be nosy, but how did you get here?"

Without looking up from her phone, Jane shrugged. "My dad gave me a map, then I took the bus and walked the rest of the way."

"Where did the bus drop you off?"

"Outside the city, approximately an hour walking distance away."

Ruby knew Jane was innocent, but couldn't help that there was a chance that Jane was just acting.

"What game are you playing?" Ruby suddenly asked out of blue.

"What?" Jane replied back in confusion.

"I have to be honest with you Jane, we normally don't get visitors here. And the visitors that do come often lead to bad things."

"Well, then I can assure you that I won't do any harm. I just came because my dad is _always_ with Tamara somewhere in the world and every time they come back from a long trip they try to make it up to me by taking me to movie premieres or going on vacation in another country to make up for the lost time. Back when I was younger we used to spend a lot of quality time together, but nowadays I see them less often. I thought this would be a surprise family trip."

After hearing what Jane said, Ruby immediately felt guilty for what she said.

"I'm sorry for lashing out, I didn't know that's how you felt," Ruby apologized.

"It's alright."

"That's some pretty deep stuff you just said, though. Why tell all of that to a complete stranger you just met a few hours ago?"

"Granny told me you were my temporary guardian, and I trust you."

"Just for the record I've always trusted in you, too," Ruby said, earning a confused look from Jane.

"Could you hold on for second?" Ruby asked.

"Sure," Jane said with a smile.

Ruby left the diner and returned ten minutes later with a giant book.

"What's that?" Jane asked.

"A book," Ruby replied as she set the book in front of Jane. "It belonged to a very special boy who lived here."

The bells signaled someone entering the diner and Ruby turned to see the dwarves with Mother Superior again.

"If you would excuse me," Rube said getting up. "By the way you should start reading."

Jane nodded and opened the book to the first page.

"Ruby, what do you think you're doing? Giving Henry's book to her. She's the enemy," Grumpy said angrily.

"First of all, Jane is _not_ our enemy. Second of all, she's only _reading_ Henry's book. Third of all, she has no idea what her dad got himself into and I can't believe you all are still suspicious," Ruby explained.

"We've been played once by Greg and Tamara and look what happened. Who's not to say it won't happen again? Especially by their own kin," Grumpy argued.

"She's not playing, and I can prove it." Ruby took a minute to turn to Jane and found her focused on a story. "She's something special, I can feel it. Plus I can't help but also have this feeling like I've met her before."

"I'm pretty sure we've all had that feeling," Grumpy muttered.

"Ruby, I gave you the title of temporary guardian, not a teacher to school her on a lesson she doesn't need to know," Mother Superior added.

"I know you guys don't trust her, but I do. Trust is the first thing when it comes to family and friendship, and right now, that girl could use a little love and compassion. So, why don't we show it her?"

Seeing as Ruby's choice was unyielding, the group marched on over towards Jane.

"Hey," Ruby said.

Jane looked up from the book and was overwhelmed by the amount of people standing near her.

"Do you mind if we take a seat?" Ruby asked.

"Sure," Jane said, curious as to how they'll all fit.

Ruby sat next to Jane while Grumpy and Mother Superior sat opposite them. The other dwarves sat in neighboring tables.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced," started Grumpy. "I'm Leroy."

"I'm Mother Superior, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Jane said, giving the two a friendly wave.

"So how do you like the book?" Ruby asked.

"I grew up with my dad telling me these stories every night when he could. Although these stories are a bit different than the tales and movies I've seen."

Jane skimmed through the book and paused on certain pages.

"It's funny though. I was flipping through the book," Jane continued, "and I thought I saw you, all of you, in it."

Jane stopped on a page and it showed the story of Red Riding Hood. "Red Riding Hood and Granny look exactly like you and Granny."

Jane turned to another page. "The seven dwarves look like you and your friends," Jane said to Grumpy.

"And you look like the Blue Fairy," Jane said to Mother Superior.

Grumpy and Mother Superior gave worried glances to Ruby while Jane continued to flip through stories until she suddenly paused on a page.

"This looks a lot like August," Jane said, speaking in a softer tone.

"You know him?" Ruby asked.

"I met him two years ago, when Tamara took me to Thailand."

* * *

**2 years ago**

"Consider this an early 13th birthday gift from your father and me," Tamara told Jane as they retrieved their luggage and left the airport into the city of Hong Kong.

"When's dad coming?" Jane asked.

"He has some business to attend to, but he'll be here tomorrow," Tamara assured.

The two settled into the hotel and took a night walk around Hong Kong.

"Is this the restaurant you were talking about?" Jane asked as they stood in the middle of crowded alleyway.

"Oh no, I'm just meeting a friend. You stay out here, I'll only be a brief moment."

Jane did as she was told and waited outside as Tamara entered the bar.

"Come on, humor me. Celebrating alone isn't so fun," Tamara said to August as they shared a drink.

"Figured a medicine man wouldn't take plastic," she said, intentionally showing August her fat envelope of money to pay for a drink.

Tamara put the envelope back in her bag before toasting to August. "To second chances."

"Who knew they'd be so expensive," August said as the bottles clinked.

"So what brought you to him?" he asked.

"Cancer," Tamara replied. "Very rare form. When I was diagnosed, the specialist told me I was on borrowed time. Ever since I've been all over the world trying to find a cure - doctors, healers, you name it. Anyone who could practice a miracle, and no one could. And then, then I heard about the dragon."

"What about you?" Tamara then asked, noticing August's sudden pained expression.

"Skin condition," August said.

"Acne?" Tamara joked. "You know, there are creams."

"I wish. No, this condition once it spreads, I'm done for."

"Well, I'm glad you found him, too."

"Thanks," August said.

"He tell you he needed some kind of personal item?" Tamara asked. "Who carries something like that with them, anyway? Luckily I had a photo of my grandmother in my wallet. Most important thing I had at the time, of course, next to a picture of my daughter and me. Now it's gone, but... if my cancer is, too," and they toasted once more.

"How old's your daughter?" August asked.

"She's turning 13 in a few days. She's actually waiting outside right now."

"Yet you're here drinking," August pointed out.

"Well it would be a bad example if she were next to me right now."

"Does she know?" August asked. "About your cancer?"

Tamara thought for a few seconds before replying, "No, I didn't have the guts to tell her. I can't let her have that sort of pressure on her shoulders, but hopefully there will be no need."

Just then her phone rang.

"Must be her. Let me just take care of this, can you watch this for me?" Tamara asked.

August nodded and watched as Tamara left, leaving the money he needed for the cure. He was contemplating whether to take it or not, and soon decided to take the fat envelope of money, but ran into someone as he exited the bar.

"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry-" August started to explain before he recognized who he bumped in to.

"Jane is that you? I can't believe it, your so grown up! Wait, is Tamara your mother?" August interrogated a very confused Jane.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I've ever met you before, but how do you know my name? And Tamara's my dad's fiancé, are you the friend she's meeting?"

"Oh no, we're just... acquaintances, but you seriously don't remember? I'm August? Pinnochio? You can help me," August said as he lifted his left pant leg which exposed his wooden leg.

"Oh my gosh! What's happening to your leg!" Jane nearly shouted.

"Calm down, I'm just turning into wood, but it's quickly spreading," August said in a hushed tone. "And you can save me. In fact, you can even save _all_ of us. Just come with me to Storybrooke."

"I can't leave," Jane exclaimed. "I don't even know you and all this about Pinnochio and saving people, you must have the wrong person."

"You have to believe me. How can you explain my leg?"

"I can't, maybe my mind's going screwy."

"You're not going screwy, and I know the real Jane is somewhere in there. And when she shows up, you can find me in Storybrooke."

August gave Jane a sudden last hug, which Jane thought was a tad awkward, and disappeared into the crowd of people.

"Stay here," Tamara ordered as she came out seconds after August and ran after him.

"Wait!" Jane said before disobeying her semi-mother and following after her.

"Stop!" Tamara said once she found August.

"I'm so sorry," August said before sprinting away.

Tamara chased August through the crowded alleyway until he fell to the ground in pain.

"Whatever it is you have, you deserve your fate," she said as she picked up the cure.

Jane approached the two and looked curiously at August hugging his knee on the ground.

"Jane, I told you to stay back there," she scolded.

"Sorry, I was afraid of being alone," Jane said.

Tamara sighed. "That's okay, I understand. Now come on, let's go."

"How do you know about her?" August asked Tamara, who saw Jane a little further up ahead.

"That's none of your business," Tamara said before leaving August in pain and leading Jane back to the hotel.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked this chapter and reviews are always helpful :)**


	4. The Boy Who Escaped

**Hey guys! Thanks again for the favorites/follows.**

**I'm also thinking of doing more flashbacks where Jane meets other fairy tale characters like I did with August in the previous chapter. If there's any character you want me to do let me know in a review!**

**Now on with the chapter... :)**

* * *

"August showed me his wooden leg, but I thought my mind was just playing tricks on me. Now I see he was telling the truth. He is Pinnochio. I could save him, somehow. Is he here? He said I could find him in Storybrooke," Jane asked.

"He's here, and I'm glad to tell you he's not wood anymore, but..." Ruby trailed off.

"But what?" Jane asked.

"There were some complications," Leroy started.

"And he was turned back into a boy," Mother Superior finished.

"Oh, so he probably doesn't remember me," Jane said sadly.

"He might, but before you and Pinnochio can reunite, we need to ask you a few questions," Ruby said.

"Go ahead," Jane said.

"I know you're unsure as to why your dad wanted _you_ to come here, but do you know why _he_ came to Storybrooke?"

Grumpy motioned for Ruby to stop speaking but she ignored him.

"What he was planning to do?"

Jane shook her head to both questions.

"First of the all, the reason all these fairy tale characters look a lot like us, is because they _are_ us, like August is Pinnochio. I _am_ Red Riding Hood. Leroy and his friends _are_ the seven dwarves. Mother Superior _is_ the Blue Fairy."

"So, all these stories _are_ real?" Jane asked and Ruby nodded. "That's insane."

"But true."

"I don't know what to say," Jane said hesitantly, trying to match the other faces in the diner to the characters in the book.

"You don't believe?" Ruby asked. "But you believed August-"

"I know what I said about August," Jane interrupted. "It's just that most of me believes what you said is true, but a part of me still doesn't."

"Then what's it going to take to make you believe?" Ruby asked.

"Do we even need her to know?" Grumpy asked harshly to Ruby.

"I guess I would need some sort of proof," Jane said, disregarding Grumpy's remark before thinking of an idea. "Where's August?"

"What about August?" Ruby asked.

"If August did turn back into a boy and remembers me, I'll believe it. I just need to hear it from a friend."

"Then let's go find him," Ruby said.

She and Jane got up and left the diner with Grumpy and Mother Superior following after. Jane thought it would take a while to locate them, seeing as Ruby showed no signs of being in possession of a cell phone, but she looked like she knew where they were going. Ruby led them to a playground near the shore, where an elderly man was assisting in pushing a child on the swing set. The man noticed the group approaching and walked towards them, leaving the boy to swing on his own.

"Hi there, Ruby, Leroy, Mother Superior," he greeted down line until he stopped at Jane. "I don't believe we've met before."

"I'm Jane," Jane said, reaching her hand out for a handshake.

The man remembered the name and recognized the girl who was much older the last time he saw her. "Marco," he introduced, shaking her hand before turning to the other three who seemed to not remember who Jane really was. Marco even seemed to think Jane didn't know who she was considering she didn't recognize him.

"Are there any news about Henry or Emma or the rest?" Marco asked, keeping his thoughts to himself.

"We need to talk," Ruby whispered to Marco as she brought him farther away from Jane who started walking up to the boy.

The boy noticed Jane walking up to him and dug his feet in the sand to stop swinging.

"August?" Jane asked, in hopes he would remember her. A smile grew on the boy's face as he got off the swing and hugged Jane.

"It's so nice to see you again," August said.

"You remember," Jane said happily.

"Yup."

"Sorry I didn't believe you, I could have saved you."

"It's alright, I wasn't thinking back then. Only I could cure myself, now I have a second chance."

"This is so weird, you're younger than me now," Jane laughed.

"In appearance, but time can be really confusing here," August said as Ruby, Grumpy, Mother Superior, and Marco walked over to them.

"Come on Pinnochio, we have to go now," Marco called out to his son who was sad there reunion was so short. August waved at Jane who waved back as the four returned to the diner.

"Okay, so if all these stories stories are true," Jane started to say once they situated back in the booth, "then why are you all here and not in the Enchanted Forest?"

"The Evil Queen, Regina, also the mayor of this town, put a curse that sent nearly all of us to this land. Time stopped for 28 years and we had no idea who we really were until the Savior came and broke the curse."

"And that would be Emma," Jane said as she flipped to the last page in the book and focused on the baby.

"Then Rumpelstiltskin, known as Mr. Gold here, brought magic to the city. Greg and Tamara came here to destroy magic along with everyone living in Storybrooke."

"Wait, my dad and Tamara wanted to destroy magic?" Jane asked shocked.

"And would have killed all of us in the process had they succeeded."

"No wonder everyone's been staring at me and giving me dead looks. You guys don't trust me. You think I'm in whatever sick game my dad is playing."

"Yes, and now that you know what our secret is, what are you going to do about it?" Grumpy tested.

"Nothing!" Jane exclaimed. "I can assure you I wasn't affiliated in any of his plans. At least, not that I know of, and frankly, I'm still trying to process everything. But if you guys don't trust me, why did you tell me about all of this? You even helped me believe."

"Still trying to answer that question myself, sister," Grumpy said.

"Greg and Tamara kidnapped the boy, Henry, whom this book belonged to, to another world. A few of our friends went to rescue him, but they've been gone for a few days now and we're a bit worried about them. We were hoping you can help us find where they are?" Ruby asked Jane.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know."

"Maybe you can recall something Greg and Tamara said? Or a place they consistently talked about?" Ruby hoped.

Jane thought for a few minutes. "They did mention the Enchanted Forest and Wonderland quite a few times, and something about a Home Office, but what they've talked about most recently was Neverland."

"Neverland?" a boy in a ragged cloak said. His hair was ruffled and dirt was smeared all over his face.

The four pivoted their heads to the boy and were taken aback from his sudden appearance.

"Pardon me, I just overheard you saying something about Neverland."

"I don't suppose you're from Storybrooke either," Ruby said to the boy.

"Oh no. In fact, if you're curious as to why I'm so interested in your conversation is because I actually just escaped from Neverland."

"What do you mean by _escaped_ from Neverland?" Jane asked.

"Peter Pan isn't the same as in the tales you've heard. He's a ruthless leader and always does by any means necessary to get what he wants. Once he has it, or them, he will _never_ let them off the island without his permission."

"Judging by your tone, I don't think he gave you permission," Ruby said.

"Not even close," the boy laughed. "I escaped by using some pixie dust I stole from Pan."

The boy held a small vial filled with dust dangling from a string around his neck.

"Pixie dust?" Grumpy said curiously.

"Even more powerful than fairy dust. With this combined with fairy dust, we'll be able to create a portal to Neverland without Pan knowing."

"Why are you helping us?" Ruby asked.

"Considering you just escaped," Jane added.

"Before I left Neverland, I was a Lost Boy. We would play along with Pan's games and frequently run into Emma and all your other friends."

Ruby, Grumpy, and Mother Superior's faces lit up at the sound of Emma's name.

"You've met them? Are they okay?" They asked.

"They're doing alright, but Henry's not. I've talked with him a few times and I can tell he's closer and closer to becoming a Lost Boy. And let me tell you that's not a good thing. Pan's reign needs to come to an end, and that's a cause I'm willing to join."

"Great! So when do we leave?" Mother Superior wondered.

"Whenever you're ready with the fairy dust," the boy replied.

"Don't worry, we got that covered. Boys! Let's go to work," Grumpy announced as the dwarves whistled on their way out of the diner.

"We're just going to round up a few of our friends, but we won't be long," Ruby said as she and Mother Superior left the diner.

Jane waited until Ruby and Mother Superior were out of view before closing the book and walking out of the diner.

* * *

"We've already been here for two days, when do you think the Home Office will give us our next step?" Michael asked his older brother, John.

"Calm down, they said it would be a few more days," John replied as he looked through his binoculars that could see the whole city.

"Each passing day is a day Wendy is still trapped on Neverland. We already lost one of our closest friends. I don't want to lose another."

"And we won't. Pan made a deal."

The two stopped talking before John seemed to see something interesting through his binoculars.

"Speaking of Pan, is that him?" he asked Michael.

John gave the binoculars to Michael and he confirmed the boy was here in Storybrooke.

"Yeah, what's he doing here?" Michael questioned as he zoomed in on Pan.

"I don't know, but Pan's presence is never a good sign."

Michael packed the binoculars and the brothers came out from their hiding spot and walked towards Pan.

"Fancy seeing you here," John said with his arms crossed.

"As you can see we've got everything under control. We're just waiting for your next move," Michael added.

Pan laughed. "And that will come, in a few days time. But I'm not here to help, I'm looking for a friend."

"A friend?" John repeated.

"Do you remember Jane?" Pan asked.

"Of course, Jane was our sister. She grew up with us before she had to be hidden in Neverland," John explained, wondering what Jane had anything to do with their situation right now.

"So you do remember."

"What of her?" Michael asked. "She's dead. You killed her because you found out who her real parents are and what's she capable of."

"Oh I didn't find out, I always knew, and I didn't kill her, I cast her out. To here, Storybrooke, until Henry came along I had to relocate her to an orphanage. Now she's come back."

"Jane is here in Storybrooke?" John asked, hoping this wasn't one of Pan's tricks.

"Yes, but she doesn't remember anything," Pan added.

"Then how did she find her way here?" Michael questioned.

"Greg and Tamara are, or _were_ I should say, her foster parents, they instructed her to meet them here. Too bad they'll never see her again," Pan said evilly.

"You knew she would come back," Michael said.

"Sending her here, having Greg and Tamara adopt her, giving them instructions on how to get to Neverland. You had this all planned out, didn't you?" John asked, putting all the pieces together.

"Just part of the game I'm playing."

"Then it's our turn to roll the dice. We're going to talk to Jane and you're going to tell us how to get her memory back," Michael ordered.

"You really think it's going to be that easy?" Pan asked. "I've been waiting 7 years for this moment, information like that is going to be harder to come by."

"Fine, we'll find our own way," John said as they began to walk away.

"No you won't," Pan said, stopping John and Michael in their tracks. "Not unless you want to lose your family forever."

"You already made a deal-" Michael started.

"Then let's make another," Pan quickly offered. "You stay away from Jane for the time being and continue to do my bidding, and I'll let both her and Wendy live."

"As for freeing Wendy and Jane's memory?" Michael asked.

"_That_ you can figure out for yourself. Now back to your watch spot, we'll be in contact."

The two brothers gave Pan death glares and eventually turned to walk away. Once they were out of sight, Pan walked to Granny's diner and opened the doors. He saw Jane in a booth surrounded by other fairy tale characters.

Pan smiled, time for the show.


	5. The Mad Hatter

**Heyo! As always, thanks again for all your support! I hope you all are liking the story and I'm sorry there's barely any action! But don't worry, we'll be getting into Neverland soon ;)**

**This chapter is the longest so far and mainly a flashback starring your favorite hat lover. Enjoy!**

* * *

The boy followed Jane to the playground near the water and sat in a swing adjacent to Jane who was reading.

"Any good stories?" he asked.

"Just seeing if there are any stories about Peter Pan, but so far none."

"So what are you reading?" he asked.

"Story about the Mad Hatter," Jane said, furrowing her brows.

"Something wrong?" the boy asked.

"I feel like I've met him, too."

* * *

**7 years ago**

"Tamara, are you sure we have to go?" Greg asked. "It's been a year and Jane still isn't used to us. We need her to trust us."

"Yes, I'm sure," Tamara told him. "If we don't our whole operation will be blown."

"Operation Return To Neverland will also be blown if we lose Jane's trust."

"And we won't. I'm sure she'll understand," Tamara assured. "We just need a babysitter."

Greg sighed. "Fine, you find a babysitter. I'll talk to Jane."

_Storybrooke_

Jefferson watched helplessly as his daughter ate dinner with the family next door. He was glad Grace, or Paige as she was called in this world, was happy. If only she was happy with him. Keeping his memories was his curse, something very few people could understand. Jefferson needed a way back to the Enchanted Forest, but he didn't know how.

One day after a stroll through the forest, he found a note on the doorstep of his house. He looked around to see if anyone might have dropped it off, but there was no one in sight. He picked it up and read the handwritten note.

**Hello Jefferson**, it read. The note was a little creepy, but the next line caught his attention.

**I know you're the Mad Hatter, and I know you wish to be reunited with your daughter.**

**By the way, I know a lot more than you think, but I can help you.**

**There is a girl, who goes by the name Jane. She has the power to bring you back to the Enchanted Forest and possibly reunite you and your daughter.**

**You will have to leave Storybrooke, but be careful. Once you cross the town line, you will lose all your memories. That includes memories of your daughter.**

**However, there is a secret path in the forest that leads out of the city. But I warn you again, one wrong turn could result in forgetting who you are.**

**Note: There is a map of the path on the back of this paper.**

Jefferson turned the note over and saw a hand drawn picture of the forest with a blue line from his house through the forest. Without reading the rest of the note, he entered his house and packed a backpack for his journey. He took one last look through his telescope and saw Grace eating lunch with the neighbors. He was desperate to get his daughter back, even if it meant following orders from the anonymous writer.

After he finished packing, Jefferson grabbed one of his hats and headed into the forest. He passed the pyramid of stones and the tadpole pond as the map directed before reaching the two arched trees, which was considered the gateway into the outside world. He paused before walking through and when he realized he had still retained his memories, he continued reading the rest of the note.

**Once you passed through the twin arched trees, make your way to Pennsylvania. From then on, you'll be on your own. The reason I am helping you is because I ask for something in return. You must gain Jane's trust and bring her to Storybrooke. If you don't, your wishes of being with your daughter will be postponed indefinitely.**

**Good Luck.**

**Home Office**

Jefferson thought of what Home Office meant, but nothing came to mind. Nevertheless, he put the note in his shirt pocket and started making his way to Pennsylvania.

_Pennsylvania_

"Hey Jane," Greg said as Jane was picking flowers in the backyard of their apartment.

"Hi," she said softly, picking a pretty sunflower.

"I know this is late, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but daddy and Tamara have to go on a trip," Greg said.

"Again?" Jane asked, tears forming in her eyes. This is the third time in the last year.

"Yes, again. It's for work," Greg tried to explain to the nine year old.

"When do you leave?" Jane asked.

"Later today," Greg replied. The sadness was obviously evident in Jane and Greg knew he needed something to cheer her up. "But hey! You know how you always wanted to go to Disneyland?"

Jane nodded with a smile.

"Then how about after we come back from our trip, we'll take you there, sounds good?" Greg asked and Jane nodded again, wiping the unshed tears in her eyes.

"Great," he said as he pulled Jane into a hug. "Now come on, we want you to meet your new babysitter."

Jane stood up and brought her flowers to their apartment on the top floor. Greg got word Tamara would be late, so Jane placed her flowers in a vase on the kitchen table and started playing on her Nintendo DS.

Half an hour later, Tamara entered the apartment with a man wearing a hat.

"Greg, this is Jefferson," Tamara introduced as the two guys shook hands.

"Thanks for looking after her on such short notice," Greg said.

"Oh no worries," Jefferson said.

"So that's Jane on the couch. We shouldn't be gone for more than three days, and remember-" Greg started to say before he was cut off by Tamara.

"Greg, it's fine. I already went over everything with Jefferson. Now come on, we have to go."

Tamara and Greg said their goodbyes to Jane before leaving. Jefferson slowly walked over to Jane and sat in the chair in front of her.

"Hi there, I'm Jefferson," he said.

"Jane," Jane said shyly, barely looking up from her DS.

"What are you playing?" Jefferson asked.

"Nintendogs."

Jane's one word answers made the conversation awkward before she finally ended her game and noticed Jefferson's hat.

"I like your hat," Jane complimented.

"Thanks, I actually made it myself," Jefferson said, taking off his hat.

"Really?" Jane asked, interested in the hat.

"Yeah," Jefferson said, thinking he can get Jane to make him a hat that will return him to the Enchanted Forest. "Did you want to make one? I actually brought some supplies with me."

Jane nodded with alacrity and the two cleared the dining room table. Jefferson got out his supplies and once everything was organized, he took Jane step by step on how to make the hat. It took them the rest of the day, but Jane was rather happy of her accomplishment.

The hat was identical to Jefferson's black top hat except for the fact that the ribbon was navy blue, rather than red. Jefferson held the hat in his hands and spun it on the table. When nothing happened, he tried again and again and again, until Jane questioned his intentions.

"What are you doing, Jefferson?" Jane asked, completely confused as to why he was still spinning the hat. She also noticed a disappointed look on his face. "Don't you like it?"

Jefferson suddenly stopped spinning the hat. "Of course Jane, it's wonderful. By far the best hat I've seen in a while made by someone so young as yourself."

Jefferson stared at the hat, wondering why it didn't work. The letter said the girl could help, but she showed no signs of power or knowledge about the fairy tale world.

Then it hit him. This was the land without magic. However, Storybrooke brought along a little magic with it.

"Hey!" Jefferson called out to Jane, snapping back to reality. "How about we go on a little field trip tomorrow?"

Jane's eyes lit up at the thought of an adventure. "To where?" she asked.

"It's a lovely town called Storybrooke. I'm sure you'll love it. It has this fairy tale quality to it. You like fairy tales, right?" Jefferson asked.

"Of course! Who doesn't? But where is Storybrooke?" Jane asked.

"It's in Maine," Jefferson said.

"Isn't Maine really far?" Jane asked.

"Yes, but I'm positive we'll be back before your parents arrive," Jefferson said.

Jane pondered over Jefferson's offer. "I'll go, but are you sure my parents will allow it?"

"To tell the truth, I'm not sure. How about we give them a call?"

Jane nodded and dialed her dad's number on the house phone.

"Hey, honey, what do you need?" Greg said rather quickly.

"Is it okay if Jefferson and I take a little trip to Maine?" Jane asked.

"Maine?!" Greg said surprised. Jefferson and Jane heard Tamara calling Greg before he continued speaking. "Fine, you can go, but be back in three days."

"Thanks daddy!" Jane said happily. "And tell Tamara I said hi."

"Will do, bye," and with that Greg hung up.

Jefferson was a little suspicious of the way Greg handled the phone call, but Jane didn't seem to notice at all. Instead, Jane had a big smile on her face, excited about the mini vacation.

"Now that we have your parent's permission, go pack, a backpack should suffice, and then go straight to bed. We leave at 8."

Jane nodded excitedly and bolted towards her room while Jefferson crashed on the couch and fell asleep.

_The next morning_

Jefferson woke up and blinked a few times in order for his eyes to adjust to the brightness. He grunted as he sat up and noticed Jane eating bread with butter, all packed and ready to go.

"What time is it?" Jefferson asked tiredly.

"7. Don't worry, you have an hour," Jane said before resuming her breakfast meal.

"You don't travel much, do you?" Jefferson asked.

"Not really, but my parents do. Almost too often, this being the third time this year," Jane said. "But I guess they're going to take me to Disneyland to make up for the lost time."

"Well I'll get ready, and we'll leave as soon as possible. That way the sooner we get there, the more time you'll have to sightsee."

Jefferson was ready in 15 minutes and the two were on their way to the airport. Once they landed in Maine, they had an hour layover before the bus arrived. They checked out a souvenir store, in which Jefferson bought Jane an olive green shoulder bag and journal as a surprise gift. Before the bus arrived, Jefferson presented the gifts to Jane, who was ecstatic.

"Don't worry you'll grow taller," Jefferson laughed as Jane slung the bag over her shoulder which reached down passed her knees. "Open it."

Jane did as he said and took out the journal. "I noticed you drawing and writing in that other journal of yours on the plane and I thought you could use this journal once that one's filled up.

"Thanks Jefferson. You are definitely the best babysitter ever," Jane said.

"Thanks," Jefferson said, for the first time noticing the resemblance between Jane and Grace. They both had that kind, positive attitude and innocence that you could never take away.

The bus pulled up and the ride was half as long as the wait. They were dropped off in a forest area where they had to walk the rest of the way. Jane was exhausted and was about collapse until they came upon the twin arched trees.

"How you holding, kid?" Jefferson asked to Jane who was trailing behind.

"I'm _exhausted_," Jane said through short breaths. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost. Storybrooke is just beyond the forest," Jefferson said, who earned an unpleasant 'ugh' from Jane. He waited for her to catch up before entering through the trees, keeping Jane directly in front of him to avoid losing their memories.

"Twin arched trees... Tadpole pond... Pyramid of stones..." Jane heard Jefferson whisper to himself before they finally saw houses.

Jane let out a huge sigh of relief as Jefferson led her to his house. Jane crashed on the sofa and stayed there, unmoving for a good ten minutes.

"Is this some sort of hotel or something?" Jane asked.

"No, this is... uh... Actually my friend's house," Jefferson lied. "I called him in advance and he said I can stay at his house while he was on vacation."

"That's nice of him," Jane said.

Jefferson brought out Jane's hat and started spinning it, but still nothing happened. Why isn't it working? Jefferson kept on asking himself. Suddenly, there were three knocks on the door.

"Still tired?" he asked Jane, ignoring the knocks.

"In all fairness, I'm somewhat always tired, but I'm not as exhausted anymore," Jane said before there were three more knocks on the door. "Are you expecting someone?"

"Not that I'm aware," Jefferson said as he cautiously walked towards the door. "By the way, a portion of the fabric on the hat peeled off, so I added some extra glue. I'll need you to spin it, that way it'll cool faster."

"Okay," Jane said as she walked to table and started spinning.

There were three more knocks on the door, much louder than the first two times, before Jefferson quickly opened the door. There was no one in sight, but there was a note on the floor. Jefferson closed the door behind him, picked up the note, and began reading.

**Thank you for bringing Jane to Storybrooke. You returned far faster than I expected. Your services are no longer needed.**

"_No longer needed_," Jefferson repeated.

"You said the girl can help me!" Jefferson called out to no one in particular, expecting whoever dropped off the note should still be somewhere in the vicinity. "But the hat still doesn't work."

The hat did in fact work, for a brief moment while Jane was spinning the hat. After Jefferson went outside, Jane spun the hat until she saw a spark. She was shocked by the spark and took a step back from the hat. The spark eventually died out and Jane had both her eyes fixed on the hat.

Back outside, there was a movement in a bush next to Jefferson, and when he looked back he saw a boy in front of him. He stepped back in surprise as a smile grew on the boy's face.

"How did you get here? Are magical or something?" Jefferson asked.

"Nope. When you were occupied with that squirrel in the bush, I simply walked up," the boy explained. He was almost as tall as Jefferson wearing a brown cloak with a hood covering his blond hair. "But I have to say, I do come from someplace that is magical."

"Who are you?" Jefferson asked.

"I'm part of the Home Office," he replied.

"You wrote these letters?" Jefferson asked.

"They were written by my boss," the boy said. "I'm just the messenger and receiver."

"Receiver?" Jefferson questioned.

"I'm here to take Jane," he said like it was obvious.

"You're not taking her until I'm reunited with my daughter," Jefferson told the boy. "You said she could help."

"Unfortunately, we left out the minor detail that we have to teach her how to use her power first, which leads back to the situation of bringing her with me back to our home," the boy said.

"Where exactly _is_ home?" Jefferson asked.

"Let's just say it's very far away from here," the boy said.

"And what if I refuse?" Jefferson questioned.

"My boss will handle that if that situation _should_ arise," he said.

"That doesn't answer my question," Jefferson said. "Because what I see is that you're trying to take away this girl from her family. Just like mine."

"You know absolutely _nothing_ about that girl's family," the boy said through gritted teeth. "And as for the consequences, forgetting is quick and simple, just look at everyone else in this town. Your curse will remain indefinitely. You'll suffer, knowing each and every day that your daughter won't remember you. That is, unless you hand over the girl."

"And you promise I'll be with my daughter again?" Jefferson asked.

"If you give Jane to us, we'll teach her magic, and we'll be back within a year," the boy said before adding, "guaranteed."

Jefferson looked over at their neighbor's house and nodded before reentering his own. He might have said he was doing one thing, but he definitely was going to do the other. Jefferson thought about the boy, and how everything didn't seem right. If they could teach Jane magic, then why couldn't they just help Jefferson in the first place? They wanted Jane. The boy and whoever he was working for could probably care less about him, but Jefferson couldn't understand why. All he knows is that if he gives Jane to the boy, she'll be torn away from her family, and being in that situation currently, he couldn't let that happen.

Jane was in the kitchen still staring at the hat when she saw Jefferson rushing towards her.

"Come on, we're leaving," he said as he grabbed Jane's backpack and threw it to her.

"But Jefferson-"

"No questions," Jefferson interrupted. "Just follow me and be quiet."

They quickly left through the back door and into the forest before exiting through the twin arched trees. Assuming the boy bought his act, since no one followed the two back to Pennsylvania, Jefferson prided himself on his acting skills, which would come in handy later on.

Back in Storybrooke, the blond haired boy soon grew to be impatient and kicked the door open. He entered the home and noticed it was vacant. The only thing out of place was an upside down hat on the kitchen table.

The boy put down his hood and face palmed, aware that he had been tricked so easily. He checked out the entire house and returned to the first floor once every room was cleared.

He sighed. "Pan isn't going to like this."


	6. To the Docks

"...Totally different than what I thought. Then again, everything today was unexpected," Jane continued to ramble as the boy reminisced at the memory. He also remembered how it took him seven years to finally bring Jane back.

"Hey," Jane said to the boy who was spaced out. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," he said as he thought of an excuse. "I was just admiring your bag."

Jane looked down at her olive bag and remembered Jefferson. "It's my favorite bag, I took it everywhere I went. My babysitter, Jefferson, the one who looks like the Mad Hatter, actually got it for me on the way here to Storybrooke a few years back. We left so soon, I'm still not sure why. This is a pretty cool town."

"It's an interesting town, you never know what can happen," he said.

"Isn't that the truth," Jane laughed, "but is Neverland really that bad?" she asked.

"_Neverland_ isn't bad," he said matter of factly. "It's _Pan_. He controls everything and everyone. I have to admit though, a lot of the boys don't mind it there. They don't want to leave."

"Why is that?"

"There's no rules, only fun and games. We could do whatever we want in Neverland," he said smiling.

Jane raised an eyebrow at his smile and asked, "Then why _did_ you leave?"

"I guess you could say I missed my family," he replied.

"I miss my family, too. I'm not sure if you've met them there. Greg and Tamara? They got themselves into some pretty deep trouble, but they're still family nevertheless."

"You're quite a forgiving and understanding person," the boy said.

"I never said I forgave them though. They could of at least told me the truth instead of keeping it a secret for all those years."

"Maybe they had a good reason for keeping it from you," the boy offered. "Maybe they were doing it to protect you."

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm a very trusting person," Jane told the boy. "But what's the point of trust when there are secrets?"

The boy was about to respond when an out of breath Grumpy approached the two.

"We've been looking for you two all over town," Grumpy said through deep breaths.

"Sorry, just catching up on some reading," Jane apologized.

"Well we got the fairy dust, and everyone's on the dock ready to go," Grumpy reminded.

The boy ripped the vial of pixie dust from the string and tossed it to Grumpy.

"Give this to the Blue Fairy, she should know what to do," the boy instructed.

Grumpy nodded and ran back to dock. Jane slid Henry's book into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She was about to follow Grumpy, but the boy stayed put.

"You're not coming?" Jane asked curiously.

"I said I was going to help, there's no way I'm not going back to Neverland to face Pan," he replied.

"Gee, thanks for the encouragement," Jane said sarcastically.

The boy laughed. "Did I mention I wish you all the best of luck?" he quickly added after Jane spoke.

Jane chuckled. "Are you sure you're not coming? If we're going to defeat Pan, we're going to need all the help we can get. We could use someone who knows the island pretty well."

"Seeing as I escaped and stole something of his, Pan might not take my visit lightly."

"Well said," Jane agreed. "Thanks for helping out anyways. We'll see you soon," she said before leaving.

"See you soon," the boy said to himself.

On the docks, nearly all of Storybrooke was impatiently waiting to go to Neverland. Apparently Mother Superior was having technical difficulties with the dust.

"Wow, when Grumpy said everyone he really meant everyone," Jane said to herself as she maneuvered her way through the crowds of people until she reached Mother Superior. "Are all of these people going to Neverland?" Jane asked Mother Superior.

"Well some of us know Pan for personal reasons and from what the boy said, we're going to need all the help we can get," a man Jane's never seen before answered.

"I'm Archie, by the way," he introduced.

"Jane," she said as the two shook hands. "Is something wrong with the portal?"

This time Mother Superior finally answered. "If only I can conjure up a portal. The dust seems to be defective."

"It's part pixie dust, right?" Jane asked for confirmation as she figured out a solution.

Mother Superior nodded.

"Then all you have to do is believe."

Mother Superior extracted the dust from her wand and placed it in a pile on Jane's hands. Jane blew the dust off her hand and soon the dust swirled into a magic portal.

"See, anything is possible if you believe," Jane said to Mother Superior, but when she looked over to her side, she found Mother Superior unconscious on the ground, along with the rest of Storybrooke.

"You couldn't be more right, Jane," the boy said.

Jane crouched down to Mother Superior and tried to wake her by shaking her but stopped when she recognized the voice.

"It's no use, they're all under a sleeping curse. Don't worry, though, they'll wake up in a few hours."

"How do you know my name?" Jane asked as she stood up.

"I know your name just as you know mine."

Right then a pair arms came from the portal and grabbed Jane. The boy flashed to where Jane was struggling and brought her chin up with his finger so that their eyes met.

"I'm Peter Pan," he said with a devilish smile.

Jane continued to squirm but whoever was on the other side had a strong grip and she couldn't break free.

"Jane!" someone yelled.

They both looked curiously in the direction of the yell and saw two men running down the street.

"Jane! Don't go with him!" The taller of the two shouted.

"Trust us! We're your family!" The shorter one called out.

Jane had a quizzical look on her face before Pan turned his direction back to her.

"Hope your ready for an adventure," he said, a hint of danger in his tone.

John and Michael both yelled "no!" as Jane was pulled through the portal. They ran as fast as they could, but their fastest wasn't fast enough. Pan merely smiled at the two brothers and entered through the portal himself before the portal disappeared completely.


	7. Return to Neverland

**Woohoo! We're finally in Neverland! And thanks again for all your support, hope everyone is still enjoying the story! Now on with the chapter...**

* * *

Jane let out a little yelp as she was pulled through the portal and thrown immediately onto the ground.

"Sorry about that, it takes a lot of strength to pull people from different dimensions," said a boy with blond hair holding a club over his shoulder.

"By the way," he continued. "Welcome back to Neverland."

"Neverland?" Jane repeated, catching her breath as she lazily rested on the ground facing the stars above.

"Well we sure aren't in Wonderland," the boy - scratch that - _Peter Pan_ replied. "And we definitely didn't bring you here to stargaze."

Two boys grabbed Jane's arms and brought her up on her feet.

"Resisting won't get you anywhere, Jane," Pan said to the squirming teen.

Jane eventually stopped squirming and the blond haired boy whispered something to Pan.

"Looks like I'm missing a sword fight. No matter, we'll see each other soon. Felix, you know where to go," with that Pan left and Felix ordered the two boys to bring Jane to a specific location.

The group walked further and further into the forest until they reached a clearing. The boy named Felix walked up to a tree and looked up. He knocked two times before turning around and instructing the two boys to release Jane. The two boys left and Jane gave Felix a curious look.

"You're not afraid I'm going to try to escape?" she asked.

"Well you are still here," Felix mentioned. "I'm not that worried."

"Why _does_ Pan want me here?"

"He has his reasons," was Felix's answer.

"Can you tell me one?"

"Do you remember anything before Greg and Tamara adopted you?"

"Come to think of it, no," Jane realized.

"That's reason #1."

Felix knocked on the tree again, and this time a rope fell down with a round wooden platform at the end.

"How did you know I was adopted by Greg and Tamara?"

"We're the Home Office. We know a lot more than you think."

"You also said welcome _back_ to Neverland. I don't believe I've ever been here before."

"Not that you remember."

Felix motioned for Jane to come over and had her step on the platform.

"Now don't let go of the rope and stand strong," he instructed.

"Don't let go? Why-" Jane started to say before Felix tugged the rope and it pulled her high up into the trees.

It was a few seconds before Jane found herself inside a room of a tree house. She stepped off the platform and watched as the rope fell and brought up Felix seconds later.

"What is this?" Jane asked amazed.

"It's your room," Felix replied.

"_This_ is _my_ room?" Jane said surprised. "I figured I'd be put in a cage or something."

"Cage is an alternative, but don't think of yourself as a prisoner. You're more than welcomed here on Neverland as our guest."

"Thanks," Jane said, a little suspicious of the Lost Boy's generosity. "How exactly do you get down from here?" Jane asked as she tested the comfortableness of the mattress, which was surprisingly soft.

"Simple. You step on the platform and you hold on tight." Felix grabbed the rope when Jane stopped him.

"Wait! You're leaving?"

"Don't worry, this rope is enchanted. You'll be safe up here," Felix assured.

"That's not what I meant..." Jane said as he stepped on the platform and disappeared from her view.

The rest of the day Jane spent exploring her massive room, which was part of a giant tree house. One room led to another before she finally reached the bedroom again. The sky remained dark the entire time, and Jane couldn't tell if it was morning, noon, or night, but her stomach told her it was snack time.

Out of the things Jane found in the tree house, not one was a refrigerator or a mini snack bar. She sighed as she slumped on her bed while her stomach kept up with plenty reminders.

Luckily, Felix came in time before Jane nearly died of starvation with a basket full of fruits and breads.

"Thanks," Jane said as she ripped a piece off a bread roll.

"No problem, wouldn't want you to starve to death," Felix joked. "How are you liking your room?"

"It's pretty cool," Jane said. "Probably even bigger than any of the apartments we lived in."

"Apartment_s_?" Felix asked.

"Every year, we had to move to a different city," Jane explained. "Greg and Tamara said it was for 'business,' but that seemed to be their answer for everything."

Felix took a bite out of an apple before Jane spoke up again.

"Have you found them?" she asked. "Greg and Tamara?"

"We haven't exactly been in contact recently, nor have we seen them in quite a while," Felix said.

"Okay," Jane said as she got up and headed towards the rope.

"Wait, where are you going?" Felix asked.

"I'm going to find Greg and Tamara," Jane stated.

"You can't do that, you have to stay here," Felix ordered. "There are many dangers out there that can possibly kill you if you go alone."

"Then why don't you tag along with me?" Jane suggested. "You know the island pretty well, right?"

"I do, but I don't think Pan would approve," Felix said. "He's a stickler on visiting rules."

"I thought there were no rules?" Jane said, crossing her arms.

Felix, realizing he was beat, offered to go talk to Pan. He left the remainder of the food with Jane and left the room. Jane watched from her window until Felix was well out of view before going down the enchanted rope. Once she touched the grounds, a group of Lost Boys came out of nowhere from the bushes and surrounded her.

"How long were you guys there?" Jane asked as she clenched the area over her heart. The boys nearly gave her a heart attack.

"Since you got here," one of them said. "We had orders to keep an eye on you and not let you leave this area."

Jane was about to protest when Felix arrived and spoke. "It will save time if you don't ask. All your questions will be answered soon."

"What did Pan say?" Jane asked.

"He said he would think about it, but he might disregard your notion completely if you keep on trying to escape."

"Fine. I'll stay in my room," Jane said reluctantly. "For how long exactly?"

"Soon," Felix said.

"Right, soon," Jane repeated Felix's vague answer to herself as she was brought back up to the tree house.

"Keep an eye on her and don't let her escape," Felix ordered the leader of the group. "Surround the perimeter on the floor and the trees."

The boy nodded and everyone disappeared into the bushes and trees. Jane paced back and forth in her room, trying to figure out a way to escape. Front door was out of question with all those Lost Boys hidden in the bushes, and the only other way out was through the window. She looked out the window and noticed a branch that could support her weight. Her plan was to sneak out later in a few hours because right now was too soon, but then Jane noticed some of the trees shake. She looked closer and saw a Lost Boy climbing up and situating himself between branches, concealed by the leaves. _Great, so now there's tree security_, Jane thought. Down the rope or through the window were her only options. _Eh, might as well try on some occasions._

A few hours went by and Jane spent those hours reading Henry's book. Once she thought the time was right, she pretended to go to sleep and turned off all the lights so that it was pitch black. Jane made a decoy under the covers, using a rolled up blanket and the usual soccer ball she found in one room. She made her way through a window in a different portion of the tree house and successfully stood onto a strong branch. She carefully walked from branch to branch high off the ground until she was further away.

"Hey!" a voice cried out causing Jane to lose her balance and plummet ten feet.

Jane thought she was a goner, but when she opened her eyes, she found herself in Felix's arms.

"Nice catch," Jane said with a sigh a relief.

"Nice fall," Felix laughed as he set Jane back on her feet.

"Well I wouldn't have fell if you didn't yell at me," Jane argued.

"And I wouldn't have yelled at you if you would have stayed in your room," Felix argued back.

"And I would have stayed in my room if you only told me about everything that's going on," Jane said.

"I told you everything will make sense soon. You don't trust us?" Felix asked.

"What's the point of trust when there are secrets?" Jane said.

"You're going back," Felix concluded. "And how about this, if you _stay_ in your room, I won't mention any of this to Pan."

Jane didn't make any promises as she walked back to her room.

* * *

Three days went by and all Jane could do was stay in her room and eat whatever the Lost Boys sent up. She tried to escape multiple times, but once she hit the ground or set a foot out the window, Lost Boys were already there to escort her back.

Meanwhile, Henry was convinced his family was on Neverland to save him and Pan needed a new plan. This time to get _both_ Henry and Jane to believe in him. For Henry, he had it all played out. For Jane... He was still playing by ear.

Pan was with Felix sharpening spears when Felix noticed something was off with Pan.

"What is it?" Felix asked.

"Someone's leaving the island," Pan replied.

"How shall we stop them?"

"It's too late," Pan said. "Don't worry Felix, we simply need to get word to our friends on the ground."

"In Storybrooke?"

"They can handle this, all it does is move our timetable a touch. We need to get Henry ready." Pan sighed as he stood up. "And I need to have a chat with our friend in the other cage."

"What about our _other_ friend?"

"I'll chat with her later, how's she holding up?"

"She's bored, _very_ bored. She tried to escape on multiple occasions," Felix reported. Pan was about to say something, but Felix beat him to it. "I don't exactly know what your plan is with her, but I don't think keeping her locked up is a good first impression."

"She already knows me," Pan said to Felix.

"But she doesn't _remember_," Felix emphasized.

"We'll talk about this later," Pan concluded, not really knowing what to say or do about Jane's memory.

After briefing Wendy on her little skit, Pan met Felix just outside the camp to discuss matters with the knowledge that Henry was eavesdropping behind them.

"Head to the other side of the island and deliver the supplies," Pan instructed as he and Felix walked deeper into the jungle.

"Understood," Felix said. "Anything else?"

"Just be certain Henry doesn't find out what you're up to, and if you have the time, you can join in on our game we're going to play."

Felix left in one direction and Pan left in another. Henry came out from his hiding spot and followed Felix, seeing as whatever "game" Pan had in mind was most likely not a good thing.

Pan came up the enchanted rope and greeted a bored Jane. She was reading Henry's book, which she finished the day before, but needed something to pass the time. When Jane noticed him, she raised the book higher to block Pan from view.

"Here, eat this," Pan said as he threw an apple towards Jane, who quickly lowered the book and caught the apple midair while she casually laid in bed.

"I heard you tried to escape," Pan told her.

"Just a few times," Jane shrugged as she took a bite into the apple.

"Felix told me it was more like 5 times a day."

"Well Felix also said I was a guest, not a prisoner."

"And that's true."

"Why are you here?" Jane snapped as she sat up, closing the book and placing it on the nightstand.

"I told you we'd see each other soon."

"You said that three days ago."

"Things have been pretty hectic in the past few days," was his excuse.

"You could have at least given me the freedom to let me explore the forest or talk to Henry," Jane argued.

"Both I can't let you do, at least not alone. Come on," Pan said, motioning her to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Jane asked cautiously.

"Does it matter? I thought you wanted to explore."

Jane reluctantly hopped out of the bed and followed Pan down to ground level.

"You do realize I have about a million questions to ask you," Jane said as Pan led her to who knows where.

"And as you've probably heard this answer repeatedly, all of them will be answered, in time. Trust me, I'm working on getting your memory back."

"You'd really do that?"

"Of course, the worst thing that could happen is to not remember who your true friends and family are. Just enlighten me, how much can you remember of your life?"

"I remember everything after I was 8, starting when Greg and Tamara adopted me. Anything that happened before then is like a void, it's like I didn't even have a life back then."

"Don't worry, you had a life," Pan assured.

"How do you know?"

"Just because _you_ lost your memory, doesn't mean _other_ people forgot, too," Pan explained.

"So then you knew me?" Jane asked for confirmation.

"More than you know about yourself," Pan said matter of factly.

"Then why can't you tell me everything? 8 years couldn't be that long."

"Oh, it was _much_ longer than 8 years," Pan said. Jane was confused how it could be _longer_ than 8 years seeing as she was 15 now.

"Fine, if you won't say anything about my past, please explain to me where we're going."

"We're going to play a game."


	8. Cost of the Game

Pan pushed his way through several more leaves before entering a clearing where all the Lost Boys were waiting for him. The boys placed all their weapons in the middle and then stood on tree stumps that created a giant circle around the pile.

"Okay, boys! You know the rule!" Pan bellowed.

"There are no rules!" the Lost Boys chanted in unison.

"Exactly! Now let's get this game started."

Pan stood on a tree stump as well as every other Lost Boy. Jane, unsure of how to play the game, nervously stepped on an open stump.

"I know _you all_ know how to play, but our lovely new-old friend, Jane, has forgotten how to. Anyone care to explain?"

A boy a few stumps down from Jane raised his hand and started to explain.

"Game's called Survival, first of all, and the name is pretty self-explanatory. Once you hear the howl of the wolves you do whatever it takes to survive. Since we are not barbaric and don't fight to the death, we battle in teams. Weapons are in the middle and if you get captured by the opposing team you're out of the game."

"This is just like The Hunger Games," Jane muttered under her breath as she remembered the time Greg and Tamara took her to see the midnight movie premiere. Never thinking that she would actually be in a similar situation.

"Just try not to get too badly injured," the boy added.

"Since we have an odd number of people, Jane can join Dylan's team," Pan said, pointing to the boy who just spoke.

"You mean we're going against _Pan_?" Jane said distressed.

"_You're_ going against Pan," one of the boys next to her said. "We're lucky enough to be on his side this time."

"Pan's most likely to go for you first, so I suggest you get a head start," the other boy advised.

"Will do," Jane said, terrified at what sick game she was dragged in to.

The boys and Jane were in a ready position and anxiously waiting for the wolf howl. It remained quiet until the wolf signaled the game has begun. The boys yelled as they ran off the tree stumps and headed towards the pile of weapons. Jane, on the other hand, immediately bolted away from all the chaos and into the jungle. Taking the advice from the boy, she ran as far away as she could and climbed up a tree with enough leaves to conceal her from anyone down below.

Her heart was beating rapidly and she remained quiet from fear that she will be found. Leaves began to rustle, twigs began to crack, and voices were being heard. Jane carefully looked down and noticed a group of boys huddling together to devise a plan.

"What's the plan?" one of them asked.

"Pan's got the north side and we have the south. I saw some of the boys from Dylan's team head towards the campsite. We could start there," the leader of the group explained.

"What about Jane?" another boy asked.

"She lost her memory, remember?"

"Which means we actually have a chance at winning this," the first boy commented.

"Exactly, I can't believe we always lose to an 8 year old."

"Pan did have a soft spot for her."

"What about her now? She's grown up, at least to a teen. She's probably smarter and more experienced."

"Pan said he'll deal with her. Now come on, he probably captured everyone on the north side already."

* * *

**Many years ago**

"Peter, where are we going?" young Jane asked.

"We're going to play a game," he answered.

"What kind of game?"

"It's called Survival. Now that you settled in and know the island pretty well, we decided you can join us," Peter explained.

"How do you play?"

"The rules are simple: there are none," Peter said, earning a chuckle from Jane. "But think of it like an extreme game of hide-and-go-seek. Just don't let the other team catch you."

"Who's on the other team?" Jane asked.

"Felix and me," Peter said. "You'll be on Dylan and Baelfire's team."

"But that's no fair, you have magic," Jane said.

"And they have you," Peter said. Jane, however, was still unconvinced. "Just do what it takes to survive. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Peter led Jane to the clearing and hoisted her up on the stump. The wolves howled, the game began, but when Peter searched for Jane, he couldn't find her anywhere. The moment the wolves howled, Jane dashed into the forest and up a tree. She watched as boy after boy ran beneath her and some were even captured. Jane soon came to a realization that she couldn't beat Peter while hiding in a tree. Sure she could wait until he's given up on trying to find her, but who knows how long that will be, and Jane knew he was persistent and determined.

Jane hid a series of traps around her tree, ranging from nets to trip ropes to more nets. After she finished setting up her traps, she perched herself back in the tree and waited. At least half an hour later, nearly all the boys from the other team were now dangling in one of the nets. Jane climbed down to inspect and noticed everyone was captured. All except for Peter and Felix.

A twig snapped somewhere behind Jane, and when she pivoted her head in the direction of the sound, no one was there. Jane turned back and Peter appeared in front of her. She turned around again and found herself sandwiched between Felix and Peter.

"Hello, Jane," Peter said.

"Hello!" Jane said happily. Almost too happily.

Before Peter or Felix knew it, they were suspended high into the air by their legs.

"We win!" Jane announced gleefully.

"Congrats, Jane. Now can you get us down from here?" Peter kindly asked.

"Of course," Jane said as she threw Peter's dagger that he dropped at a rope that loosened all the other ropes connected to the nets. All the Lost Boys fell with a thud and untangled themselves from the nets.

"Sorry about the rough landing," Jane apologized. "I'm still working on that."

From then on Jane's traps got more elaborate and her team was unbeatable. Even with his magic, Peter couldn't capture Jane, but he was determine to, someday.

* * *

Unfortunately for him, that day was not today.

The group of boys left, and Jane climbed higher up into the tree to get a better look at Neverland. She reached the top and she marveled at the sight. Despite what was going on with Pan and whatnot, Neverland really wasn't a bad place.

Jane was amazed by the breathtaking scenery when something caught her eye. It looked like another tree house from where she could see. Jane quietly climbed down the tree and walked in the direction of the tree house to investigate. She came to a ladder and climbed up to see a girl not much older than her in the bed.

Wendy, expecting to see Henry, watched as the girl climbed up and instantly recognized her face.

"Jane!" Wendy exclaimed happily as she got up and hugged the girl. "You're so grown up, we're actually almost the same age now."

"I'm sorry, who are you and how do you know my name?" Jane asked, taking a step back from the stranger.

"I'm Wendy, Wendy Darling, don't you remember? We grew up together when you were younger," Wendy tried to explain but the confused expression on Jane's face told Wendy that she doesn't remember.

Jane shook her head, "I can't remember anything before I was 8."

"Oh, okay," Wendy said, sad that her best friend can't remember who she is. "But if you need any help just know that I'm always here for you."

Wendy gave Jane one last hug before she kindly thanked Wendy and climbed down the ladder. Jane continued to walk away from the tree house until she came upon another clearing, but this time she was devastated to see what, or who, lay before her.

* * *

"Well that's everyone," Pan exclaimed. "Nice of you to join us, Felix."

"Actually, we don't have everyone," Felix pointed out.

Everyone looked around and noticed one person missing, Jane.

"I thought you searched the entire island," Pan told Felix.

"We did, but we assumed you already captured her."

"Well you assumed wrong, now we have to find her."

Dylan's team was untied and everyone was on the search for Jane.

"Jane!" Pan yelled.

"Jane?" Dylan asked when he reached her tree house.

"Jane!" Felix called out.

The Lost Boys regrouped, but no one found her.

"She's not at the campsite," one of the boys reported.

"She's not in her room either," Dylan said.

Pan sighed, "Jane was the best when we played hide-and-go-seek all those years ago. Has anyone seen Felix?"

Felix walked to the shore and called Jane's name again when he saw a figure sitting on the beach.

Realizing it was Jane, he approached her, and noticed something was in her hand.

"Jane, we've been looking all over for you. You won the game," Felix said, but Jane ignored him.

"Where did you get this?" Jane asked, holding up a small teddy bear.

"Where did you find it?" Felix asked back.

"I found it not too far from Greg and Tamara's bodies!" Jane exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes. "I recognize this, this is mine, but Greg and Tamara never had possession of this. Trust me, I checked, but I remember playing with it years ago."

"What can you remember?" Felix asked.

"It's not much, but I remember playing with it in the trees."

* * *

**London**

"Jane! We're going to play while it's still light outside!" Michael called out from outside their room. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Jane said as she opened the door.

Jane followed her younger brother outside and met up with their older siblings, John and Wendy, at their favorite tree. Wendy climbed up first then John followed by Jane and lastly Michael.

"Catch!" Michael said as he threw his stuffed bear up to Jane, who almost fell out of the tree trying to catch it.

"We should build a tree house here," Jane suggested.

"A tree house would be lovely," Wendy said.

"This tree is certainly big enough," John said.

"I want a tree house!" Michael exclaimed.

The Darling children laughed and played the rest of the day until the blue sky suddenly turned a sullen grey. The winds picked up and they could feel little droplets of water on their skin. Mrs. Darling came running out of the house and towards the tree.

"Come down now, children. There's a storm coming!" Mrs. Darling attempted to yell over the cries of the wind.

The children carefully climbed down the tree and headed inside their cozy home where they were given a towel from Mrs. Darling to dry off from the rain. Afterwards, Mrs. Darling hurried into the kitchen to consult with her husband.

"George, it's happening. Whoever they are, they're here," Mrs. Darling said afraid.

"How did they find us?" Mr. Darling questioned.

"I'm not sure, but we have to move her. We swore to her parents," Mrs. Darling said.

"Mary, you don't mean..."

"It's the only way."

Mr. and Mrs. Darling exited the kitchen and scurried to the living room where the children were warming up by the fire.

"Mother, Father, is something wrong?" Wendy asked.

"Jane, you have to come with us," Mrs. Darling said, ignoring Wendy.

The Darlings brought Jane to the children's room and opened the window. The rain stopped, but the night was darker than ever. Wendy, John, and Michael soon joined their parents and sister and realized what they were going to do with Jane.

"No Father! Mother!" John pleaded.

"There must be some other way!" Michael said.

"We already lost Baelfire, we don't want to lose Jane, too," Wendy said.

"I don't want to go either, do I have to?" Jane asked.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's the only way," Mrs. Darling said before a shadow appeared at the window.

"This might be the last time we see each other," Mrs. Darling told Jane as the whole family gathered for a group hug.

"Take this," Michael said, offering his teddy bear to Jane. "Keep it so you won't forget us."

"I'll never forget you," Jane said as she hugged Michael for the last time, holding onto him for as long as she could. Wendy and John joined in on the hug as Mrs. Darling gave the shadow directions.

"You have to take her, he should know what to do already," Mrs. Darling told the shadow. "Just make sure you keep her safe."

The shadow nodded and took Jane's hand, leading her out into the darkness. Jane waved a last goodbye before the clouds blocked her view. It was pitch black and Jane could see nothing until the shadow bypassed the thick layer of clouds into the clear starry night. Michael's teddy bear was wrapped tightly by Jane's arms, who was extremely careful not to drop it. The shadow brought her higher and higher closer to the stars until they flew passed the second star to the right and straight on 'till morning.

Jane was temporarily blinded by the brightness of the star but when she opened her eyes, she saw a beautiful island with clear waters reflecting the bright blue sky.

"Neverland," Jane said awestruck.

The shadow was not kind with landings and dropped Jane a few feet from the air. She rolled a bit before stopping and had trouble getting up. A hand was extended to her and she took it. Jane surveyed her helper who was twice her height, had messy brown hair, and a smile on his face. A few seconds later, more boys wearing brown cloaks appeared from the trees, all giving her welcoming looks.

"Hi Jane. Welcome to Neverland," her helper said. "We've been expecting you."


	9. Jane's Story

**Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I was pretty busy these last two weeks. But to make it up to you, the next chapter should be posted by Monday.**

**Anyways, thanks for those who are enjoying this story and in this chapter you'll learn much more about Jane's past.**

* * *

"If only I can remember everything else," Jane said.

Felix remembered, of course. He was there when she landed on Neverland.

"You will, you just have to trust us. Now come on, we're having a celebration."

"How can I celebrate when the people who I've cared about are dead?"

_They were just using you_, Felix wanted to say, but figured now wasn't the time.

"How did they die?" Jane asked.

"Are you sure-"

"Just tell me," Jane interrupted Felix.

"Pan's shadow took Greg's and..." Felix paused. "We shot an arrow through Tamara."

Jane looked up at Felix in confusion. "Arrow? I didn't see an arrow through or near Tamara."

"Then it looks like we didn't kill anybody after all," Felix said as Jane ruminated about what he just said. "Well, if you need anything we'll be at the camp. It's a few minutes from your tree house."

Felix left her alone, but another boy came from the bushes and sat next to Jane, who jumped at his sudden appearance.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I've kind of been following Felix around and I heard you say Greg and Tamara's name. My name's Henry, by the way."

"Jane," she said as she wiped away her tears.

"So you know Greg and Tamara? I do, too, they sorta kidnapped me," Henry said awkwardly.

"They were my adoptive parents," Jane said, another tear slowly rushing down her cheek.

"I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't know," Henry apologized again.

"It's okay, they were only doing what they thought was right."

"So, how did you get here?" Henry asked.

"Actually, the entire Storybrooke was planning on coming here to save you and your family, but Pan tricked everyone and only brought me instead."

"He says I have the heart of the truest believer, that's why I'm here. What do you have?"

"I don't know."

* * *

"I knew you didn't kill her," Wendy told Pan after he congratulated her on lying to Henry. "She came here just before Henry."

"What makes you think I won't kill her now, then?" Pan threatened Wendy, hoping to diminish that glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Because you _can't_. Deny it all you want, you value family as much as anyone else on this island. And through the years Jane has spent on this island, she's grown to be like your little sister just as she is ours."

"Just be aware that things have changed, and I _will_ kill her if things don't go as planned."

Wendy merely smiled at Pan's threat for she knew that would never happen.

* * *

"Felix! Where have you been?" Pan asked once he returned to the camp.

"I found Jane near the shore. She also found Greg and Tamara," Felix reported.

"How did she take it?" Pan asked.

"Hard, but the stuffed bear you placed there seemed to trigger a memory."

"Great, now take these to her." Pan gave Felix two cups, one with glowing blue liquid and one with regular water.

"What's in this?" Felix questioned.

"Potion, found it in Rumple's shop back in Storybrooke. Whoever drinks from something that holds dear to them shall remember their memories."

"You want me to give this to Jane?"

"Yes," Pan confirmed.

"Who's the other cup for?"

"Henry, you'll find him with Jane."

Felix was about to leave when he noticed a look on Pan's face he knew all too well.

"What's wrong?" Felix asked, a little bit annoyed from Pan's constant uncertainty from the past few days.

"It's Jane. The only way for me to control her power is for her to get her memories back, but once she gets her memory back, she won't trust me like she did all those years ago."

"I thought you had a plan," Felix said.

"I do, that's only part 1. Part 2 is explaining to her who her real parents are and having her believe. She won't believe if she doesn't trust me."

"She'll come around," Felix assured. "If there's one thing about Jane, is that she's understanding. You just have to believe in yourself, too."

Felix disappeared into the forest and left Pan to his thoughts. He reached the shore and greeted the teen and tween.

"Thought you might want something to drink," Felix said as he gave a coconut cup to Henry and a fancy, shell cup to Jane.

The two drank and gave their cups back to Felix. He stood next to the two, waiting, before speaking again.

"How are your memories coming? Remember anything else?" Felix asked.

"No, everything's still blank," Jane said.

Felix simply nodded and returned to the campsite.

"Well?" Pan asked, hoping for good news.

"She doesn't remember."

"Doesn't remember?" Pan repeated, thinking that the potion should have worked.

"Maybe something interfered when you sent her to Storybrooke," Felix suggested as they sat on a log. "Where was the last place you took Jane?"

Pan thought for a few minutes before replying, "The echo caves."

"The echo caves?" Felix repeated.

"The dark forces I was told to keep Jane safe from was able to sneak past our defenses. I brought her to the echo caves because they couldn't track us there."

"And you opened a portal _in_ the echo caves?" Felix asked.

Pan nodded. "It was the only way to get her safe, away from magic."

"Then you're going to have to beat yourself at your own game. You have to tell us a secret, something you wouldn't admit to anyone else," Felix said as the Lost Boys gathered around them.

"Okay, let's see," Pan clasped his hands and thought. "Aura and Nox are Jane's biological parents."

"That may be a secret to her, but that's no secret to everyone else," Felix pointed out.

"She is the only one who could stop me," Pan whispered to Felix so that the Lost Boys couldn't hear.

"That won't work either, you need to dig deeper. Search for something not related to power or self-preservation."

Once Pan heard Felix say "self-preservation," Rumplestiltskin immediately came to mind and how he and Baelfire were separated because of the power Rumple possessed. He remembered how Jane was moved from one family to another, not because of an external power, but the power she unknowingly held within.

Pan was in deep thought until he thought of something and sighed.

"When Jane first came to Neverland, I thought I would be able to use her power to my advantage. Then when I finally found Henry, I realized Jane was the only person who could stop me. I couldn't kill her, then, and I couldn't let anyone else do the same. Each day I regret sending her through that portal and having her lose her memory when I could have let her stay. I could have faced whatever was to come without having to go through everything we have to do right now."

"We understand, we all wanted to keep Jane safe. That was because..." Felix tried to lead on.

"She became family."

At that moment, a whoosh of energy surged throughout the entire island.

* * *

A gust of wind blew Jane's hair back and a wave of memories flooded her mind. She smiled and laughed at the fact of all the memories she was remembering, but then the happiness slowly faded away once the memories took a dark turn.

"I remember," she exclaimed.

"What do you remember?" Henry asked.

"_Everything_."

"Now come on, there's something I want to show you."

Jane grabbed Henry's hand and the instant they made contact, she felt like she was transported to another world.

"Jane," a woman's voice called out. "You're so grown up."

"Who are you?" Jane asked.

"You may not believe it, but I am your mother."

Jane was speechless and searched for her, but she saw nothing but bright colors.

"If you're my mother then why did you give me away," Jane asked, wanting answers. She had so many questions, but that was the first one that came to mind.

"It was for your own safety. But don't worry, child," she said in a soothing tone. "The one who holds the darkest secrets will be the one who will reveal everything to you."

A woman in a long white gown and majestic brown hair materialized in front of Jane before she was snapped back to reality and took several deep breaths.

"Jane are you okay? I lost you for a little bit," Henry said.

"I'm fine," Jane told him.

"Did you have a flashback? Did you see anything?"

"Yeah," Jane paused. "I think I saw my mother."

* * *

After Jane's meeting with her mother, she led Henry to her tree house. Henry was fascinated by the enchanted rope and even more amazed by the design of the tree house.

"Who built this?" Henry asked.

"Pan and the Lost Boys, but I designed it all, along with all the other boys' houses according to their liking."

"You designed this?" Henry paused then asked another question. "Wait, you lived here?"

"Yes and yes, I was pretty artsy for my age."

"How old were you?"

"8."

"8? But you're a teen now."

"Yes, but a lot of things have changed. Oh! I just remembered."

Jane scoured her room for her bag until she found it hiding underneath the bed sheets. She pulled out Henry's Once Upon A Time book and handed it to him.

"Ruby gave it to me to read when I was in Storybrooke, I thought I'd bring it along and give it to you when I saw you. You know, as a symbol of hope and as a reminder that there are people who love you and will do anything for you. Promise me you'll remember."

"Thanks, and I will, but if you lived here, how did you get to Storybrooke?"

"That's a long story," Jane told Henry.

"I'm in no rush," Henry said, flipping through his book.

"Alright, where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning, if you don't mind."

Jane couldn't help but smile at Henry's wonder-filled curiosity and got into a comfortable position on the couch before telling the story.

"The Darlings were my first family and I grew up with them for as long as I could remember. I knew I was adopted, but it felt like they were hiding another secret from me. 8 years later, I was told I had to go away because someone was coming after me. A shadow brought me to Neverland and that's where I met Peter, Felix, and all the other Lost Boys. They were my second family. I spent at least a decade here before Peter brought me to the echo caves. We were playing hide and seek, or so I thought, but the next thing I knew I was transported through a portal, lost my memory somehow, and ended up getting adopted by Greg and Tamara. They took me in, but it felt like they were gone half the time, away on 'business' as they called it. I didn't realize until my dad, or Greg, instructed me to go to Storybrooke and Ruby explained everything that happened that 'business' meant destroying magic."

"Whoa," was all Henry could say before the two noticed the platform drop.

Jane grabbed a stick nearby and had it transform into a sword.

"Stay back," she ordered a surprised Henry.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"Peter taught me that on Neverland you can do whatever you want as long as you believe."

Pan came up with Felix and they immediately put their hands up when they saw Jane's sword.

"Whoa there, no need to get violent. We just want to talk," Pan said as Jane lowered her sword and returned it back to the stick.

"Come on, boy," Felix said as he walked over to Henry.

"Sorry, Henry, but this is a private conversation," Pan said when Henry didn't move.

Henry looked at Jane before he placed the book on Jane's bed and left the tree house with Felix.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jane asked.

"Your family."

"My family?" Jane asked. "I don't even know who my biological parents are, I haven't seen the Darlings in over 15 years, you banished me through a portal, and Greg and Tamara are dead."

"I know you've been through rough waters regarding family, but maybe I can answer some questions now that you have your memory back."

"Who are my birth parents?" Jane immediately asked.

Pan smiled, knowing that Jane would ask that. "Come with me first."

"Can't we talk about it here?"

"No, there's a better place I have in mind, unless, you don't want to know."

Jane, wanting the information, reluctantly followed Pan to wherever he led her, which was to a peak that had a view of the entire island of Neverland.

"It's beautiful," Jane had to admit as she sat on the edge of the cliff with her feet dangling over the ledge. "I can't believe I've never been up here before."

"This is Dead Man's Peak," Pan said.

"Well that answers that question," Jane said. "I thought you said it was dangerous."

"It is, the other side of the peak contains dreamshade plants. Much too risky for an eight year old. Plus you were pretty busy designing all our custom made rooms," Pan joked, sitting next to Jane.

They went silent for a few minutes, noticing the surprisingly calm atmosphere despite a few wolf howls before Jane spoke.

"Did you know my parents?" Jane asked.

"Very briefly, but it was so long ago, I can't tell if our meeting was actually a dream or reality," Pan said.

"What did they say?" Jane asked.

"It's better if I start from the very beginning," Pan said to Jane who nodded.

"Your mother," Pan started, "was named Aura, meaning 'light,' and was the source of all good magic. She was also known as the first believer. Your father, Nox, meaning 'dark', was the source of all dark magic, and known as the first Dark One. They crossed paths one day during an era of chaos and they instantly fell in love."

"True love," Jane clarified.

Pan nodded. "Everyone feared Nox, but Aura could see that dark magic was controlling him. True love's kiss freed Nox from the control of the dark magic, however the magic remained inside him. The magic was too much beyond his control and he transferred a portion of it into a dagger. The dagger was the only thing that could stop the Dark One, seeing as both had equal power, and he hid it where he hoped no one would find it. Your parents' power granted them immortality and through the years they balanced each other out, until a power hungry man sought out to kill your father and planned to plunge the world into darkness. The man learnt about the dagger and searched for it for 100 years. The story of the dagger was passed on from father to son until the man's great-grandson finally found it, but that was not before Aura and Nox bore a child."

Jane fiddled with her hands as she intently listened to Pan's story, wondering if it was true or not.

"Nox knew it was the end for him and ordered Aura to get their daughter to safety. They both transferred a portion of their power to their daughter for protection and Aura was able to flee. She gave her daughter, whom she named Jane, to the Darlings, for Aura knew the new Dark One would come after her next. After Aura accepted her fate, the Dark One thought with the dagger, he would be able to control both light and dark. However he was mistaken, for Aura had already passed on her belief to the heart of the trust believer.

"You were hidden for two reasons," Pan continued. "One, to keep you safe from harm, and two, because one day, you would become your mother and father's successor and balance the world of good and evil."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Successor to my parents?" Jane asked.

"Yes, indeed," Pan said.

"That seems a bit of stretch, doesn't it?" Jane asked. "I mean, I don't have any powers."

"Sure you do," Pan said. "Your parents each gave a portion of their power to you. You just need to unlock it."

"I still don't believe you," Jane said.

"Really?" Pan asked, shocked. "Well you should because it's true. Nearly everyone knows your story, and they know your destined for greatness."

"The world seemed fine in the time I didn't know who my birth parents were and when I was kept hidden."

"That was the past, think about the future. Why don't you believe? Most people would have found the story quite convincing."

"The story was convincing," Jane agreed. "I just don't trust you."

"You used to."

"That was a long time ago before you lied to me and sent me away."

"I did that for your own protection," Pan argued.

"But you still kept the truth hidden. I even went through another family and they ended up dead, because of you."

"They were only using you, Jane. You were nothing but a pawn in their game. Greg wanted you to come to Storybrooke because you were their ticket to Neverland, that is, until they managed to obtain a magic bean."

"And how do you think they knew that information? That children who believe and say 'I believe' get taken by a shadow to Neverland? Felix told me you were the Home Office, that's where Greg and Tamara were getting their instructions from. Did you tell them about who I really was?"

"No, but somehow they put the pieces together and figured it out on their own," Pan said.

"If they figured it out, what were they planning on doing with me?" Jane asked.

"Like everyone else, they wanted your power, but they couldn't take it because that power was concealed."

"Everyone including you?" Jane asked.

"Everyone _excluding_ me," Pan said. "I want to help you. Your power can save us when darkness is at it's peak."

Jane remained silent for a few minutes, trying to decide what was true and what were lies. "I need to talk to Henry."

"Don't we all," said a voice from the trees behind Pan and Jane.


	10. Learning to Believe

**As promised (even thought it's really late) here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Where do you think you're going?" Regina asked Gold who was heading towards the forest.

"I feel Pan's presence nearby," Gold said. "And where there's Pan, there's most likely Henry."

"Then why don't I go with you?" Regina asked. "We're stronger together, we can get Henry."

"Yes, but even if we do get Henry, Pan will get him back. You need to stay here, just in case your mermaid returns with what I need," Gold said. "That item is the only way we can finally stop Pan once and for all, the least I could do is slow him down."

"Okay, but if you see Henry," Regina started. "Tell him we're coming for him."

Gold nodded and disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Pan moved Jane behind him as Gold surveyed the two.

"Where's Henry?" Gold asked.

"Well, obviously he's not here at the moment," Pan said.

"That doesn't answer my question," Gold said.

"Who is that?" Jane whispered to Pan, but Gold was able to hear.

"Who am I?" Gold asked. "I am Rumplestiltskin, or the Dark One if you may. Nowadays I go by Mr. Gold."

Gold took a step forward and Jane attempted to take a step back, but if she did, she would fall off the cliff.

"I know introductions aren't necessary for you, dearie," Gold continued. "Jane, daughter of Aura and Nox. So the stories are true."

"What stories?" Jane asked Pan, but Gold answered.

"There's so much he hasn't told you," Gold laughed. "But these stories were told by my father."

Pan reached into his pocket and gave Jane a vial behind his back.

"What's this?" Jane whispered, much more quietly than before.

"Pixie dust," Pan said.

"Why do I need pixie dust?" Jane asked.

"You're going to need to jump off the cliff," Pan said.

"Jump off the cliff?!" Jane said in a loud whisper. "Are you crazy?"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. As long as you believe, remember?"

"What do I believe in?" Jane asked.

"Believe in who you are," Pan said. "Believe in me."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, dearie," Gold called out to Jane. "Pan is not at all who he seems to be. Trust me, I know."

"Jump, Jane!" Pan encouraged. "You'll be safer away from him. He just wants more power."

"Oh, but that's not true," Gold said. "I have all the power I need."

With the flick of his hand, Gold intended on sending Pan over the cliff. Instead he sent Jane falling at a rapid speed towards the ground.

"Apparently not enough compared to the power I have and will have, thanks to you," Pan laughed before disappearing within a blink of an eye.

* * *

"_Ahhhhhhh_!" Jane screamed on the way down. She rapidly opened the vial and squeezed it tightly. "I believe, I believe."

The dust glowed a bright green and swirled around Jane, allowing her to fly. Just in time, too, as she grazed the tips of the trees. Jane forgot how it felt to fly. The wind blowing her hair back, the freedom to go anywhere on the island, but now wasn't the time to fly around as Jane flew her way to the campsite. She made a soft landing and all eyes were on her once she entered the camp.

"Welcome back, Jane!" one of them shouted as they gathered around Jane for one massive group hug.

"It's nice to be back," Jane said happily.

The boys threw a mini fiesta to celebrate Jane's return, but Jane still could not participate in the fun. Not when she saw Greg and Tamara's bodies, or what Peter told her about her parents, or when she was free falling down the cliff. Jane sat on a nearby log when Henry appeared out of nowhere, again.

"Geez, you have got to stop doing that," Jane told Henry.

"Sorry about surprising you again," Henry apologized. "Felix has been trying to keep me away from you, but I was able to slip away from him this time."

"How convenient because I actually really needed to talk to you," Jane said. "Or at least my mom."

"Oh yeah, go ahead," Henry said. "I know what it's like to want to know more about your birth mom."

Jane nodded and placed both her hands on Henry's shoulders. She opened her eyes and found herself in the same world as their last encounter. Jane's mom soon materialized from a bright white light in front of her. She wore a smile that told Jane she was happy, but her eyes told Jane she was also sad.

"Is it true?" Jane asked. "Are you and dad the sources of magic? The first believer and the first Dark One?"

"Yes, it's true," Aura said, her voice echoing throughout the dream world.

"Does that also mean if I make contact with the current Dark One, I will see dad?" Jane asked.

"It's possible," Aura said. "Your dad is one with the Dark One just as I am one with Henry."

"You know Henry?" Jane asked.

"Of course," Aura said. "My choosing of the heart of the truest believer was anything but random."

"But why did you wait all this time to tell me?" Jane asked.

"You weren't exactly of age to handle all the power you truly possess," Aura said.

"I think I could have handled the truth," Jane argued.

"Then I guess we weren't ready to tell you the truth. To have that burden that the world is in your hands," Aura said.

"That is a lot of weight to carry," Jane agreed. "But there's something else isn't it? It has something to do with Peter. You said yourself that 'the one who holds the darkest secrets will be the one who will reveal everything to me.'"

"I'm sorry Jane, but I can't reveal that to you. If I do, then he will succeed," Aura said.

"But if you reveal it to me, then I can prevent whatever is to come," Jane suggested.

"It's too late, it's already been done," Aura said.

Jane was officially confused and was about to respond before she was snapped back to reality.

"Sorry, Jane," Henry said. "Pan's coming towards us."

"Hello, Henry. Felix is looking for you," Pan said as he approached the two.

"See you later, Jane," Henry said before he left and Pan replaced his spot.

"Dark One's taken of, you won't have to worry about him anymore," Pan said.

"My mom told me I have a lot of power within me, how am I going to contain it?" Jane asked.

"I can teach you," he said.

"Okay, when do we start?" Jane asked.

"We already did," Pan replied as Jane raised an eyebrow. "First step was getting you to believe when you used that vial of pixie dust I gave you."

"That was step 1? It looked more like the first lesson in how not to die," Jane joked. "So what's the next step?"

"Using your powers." Pan stood up and motioned for Jane to follow him to the campfire which he extinguished.

The Lost Boys stopped dancing once the fire was put out and patiently watched Pan and Jane.

"Let's start with basics," Pan said. "Making a fire, plain and simple."

Jane took a deep breath and put her hands out towards the pile of sticks. She closed her eyes and concentrated, but when she peeked one eye open, there was no fire.

"You have to concentrate," Pan said.

"I am," Jane said with both eyes closed again.

"Find your anger and use that to focus," Pan instructed.

"Anger? There's no other way?" Jane asked.

"Always worked for me," Pan said.

_Of course it has_, Jane thought.

Jane took another deep breath and thought about all her families. How they kept the secret about her biological parents away from her, how she was given away, how she was nothing but a pawn in a game. Then Jane started thinking lovely and warm thoughts. All the fun times she had with the Darlings, the Lost Boys, and even with Greg and Tamara. Jane opened her eyes to see that she created a pillar of fire that touched the skies. She dropped her hands and the fire immediately died down to a normal campfire.

_I knew there was another way_, Jane thought and smiled.

Pan was proud and surprised of Jane's power, but he thought all that pillar of fire was coming from her anger.

"What's next?" Jane asked.

"That'll be all for today," Pan said. "We'll resume tomorrow."

"Are you going to join in on the party?" Dylan, whom Jane hasn't seen in years, asked.

"No, I had a pretty exhausting day," Jane said. "I'll be in my room."

Jane left and the boys continued dancing.

"I told you she would come around," Felix said to Pan.

"She's capable of much more than I thought," Pan said.

"What are you planning on doing with her?" Felix asked.

"Let's take everything one step at a time," Pan said. "Right now we have to take care of Henry."

* * *

While Pan was preparing to bring Henry to Skull Rock, Felix paid a visit to Jane. From the ground underneath Jane's tree house, Felix could see the lights flicker on and off. The enchanted rope brought him up and he saw Jane focusing on a lantern, creating a fire and then extinguishing it.

"I see you're having fun," Felix said.

"Sure am," Jane said, keeping the fire lit. "Back when I was with Greg and Tamara, I've only seen magic on TV or in my imagination when I was reading books, so it's pretty exciting that I have the power to do that now."

"That was a lot of anger you had back there during your fire demonstration," Felix mentioned.

"It wasn't anger," Jane said.

"It wasn't?" Felix asked.

"At first it was, but then I started thinking of happy thoughts," Jane said.

"Always trying to find another way," Felix said.

"There always is," Jane smiled.

"By the way, where did you get that hat?" Jane asked while pointing to a familiar hat.

"Pan got that for you a while back," Felix said.

"Did he get it from Jefferson?" Jane asked.

"The Mad Hatter?" Felix clarified. "Why yes, it was one of his last hats that actually had a little bit of magic. You don't remember?"

"No, I guess not all my memories came back yet," Jane said.

"Is there a reason you came to visit me? Something you needed to tell me?" Jane continued. "Or something you're _not_ telling me?"

"I just came to check up on you. What makes you think we're hiding anything else?" Felix asked.

"No reason," Jane lied.

"Well you know where I'll be," Felix said.

"Ditto."

Felix left Jane and returned to the camp, but right when he entered, he fell to the floor asleep. Regina had cast the sleeping curse and they entered the camp from all sides. They searched for Henry and prepared to face Pan, but there was no sign of either of them. The group frantically scoured the entire camp when Emma heard a cry for help.

Emma ran in the direction of the voice and found a young girl trapped in a cage.

"You're an adult," she said.

"My name's Emma. I'm looking for my son," she said before Neal came.

"Wendy?" Neal asked.

"Do I know you?"

"It's me, Baelfire."

* * *

After Felix left, Jane resigned from playing with fire and leaned against the bed frame. She was listening to the boys dance and chant when they stopped. It was highly unlikely of them to end a party this early and so suddenly as Jane walked to the window to see the fire was still lit. She exited down the enchanted rope to see what was going on with a dagger she transformed from a stick. Jane then created a fire in her other hand and headed towards the campsite.

* * *

Neal reunited with Wendy and broke her free of her cage before the interrogation began.

"No, I'm sorry. He never mentioned anything about a heart," Wendy said after she was asked about Henry or Pan's plan.

"She's lying," Gold said. "Where is he."

Gold walked angrily towards Wendy before he was stopped by David.

"What are you doing?" David asked.

"I've carried enough lies in my life to recognize their burden," Gold said. "She knows where Henry is."

"Is that true?" Neal asked.

"You don't understand," Wendy started to say.

"You're helping Pan?" Snow asked.

"He's keeping John and Michael alive, only if I do what he says," Wendy explained.

"Trust me," Gold said. "Whatever he's promised, he will go back on his word."

"And why should I trust a man who abandoned his own son?" Wendy asked.

"Because your brothers did," Regina said. "They trusted a woman named Belle. They helped her get this box, so we can defeat Pan."

"They're okay?" Wendy asked.

"For now, and only if we succeed," Gold said.

"Wendy," Neal pleaded. "We will save John and Michael, I swear to God, but right now, I really need your help. Please."

"Pan told Henry that he needs his heart to save magic," Wendy explained. "But it's a lie. He needs it to save himself."

"What do you mean?" Neal asked.

"Pan's dying. He needs the heart of the truest believer to absorb all the magic in Neverland," Wendy explained. "And once he does, he will be immortal, all-powerful."

"And what happens to Henry?" Snow asked.

"Well, it's a trade," Wendy said. "When Pan lives, Henry will die."

The others looked horrified at the thought that they might lose Henry.

"How do we stop Pan?" David asked.

"Pan took Henry to Skull Rock," Wendy said. "But you haven't got much time."

Hook and Tink volunteered to remain at the camp to guard the Lost Boys when they wake up while Emma told Snow and David that Gold can cure David back in Storybrooke, but first they would need to retrieve some water from Dead Man's Peak. Emma, Regina, Neal, and Gold would follow after Pan and hope to save Henry in time.

"Before you all go," Wendy said as the group was about to disperse. "There is someone who can help you defeat Pan."

"And who might that be?" Emma asked.

"Jane," Wendy said.

"Jane is alive and here on Neverland?" Neal asked and Wendy nodded.

"Jane? As in your daughter?" Emma asked.

"My daughter? Jane is my sister!" Wendy exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Emma said in defense. "After Peter Pan, Disney made a sequel about your daughter, Jane."

"It's true," Neal said to back Emma up. "I know because I saw the movie when I was living in New York. Nice movie, too, actually."

"Well, then Jane's story is completely different," Wendy said. "She is the daughter of the two most powerful beings. They were the sources of magic. You could still teach Jane magic, but as long as she doesn't know who her real parents are, her heart will be of no use to Pan."

"About that..." Gold started to say. "I happened to encounter Jane with Pan after storytelling about her parents..."

"You didn't make her believe, did you?" Wendy asked.

"I..."

"Wendy?" Jane said as she emerged from the bushes. She extinguished the fire in her hand and ran to hug Wendy.

"Jane! You remember!" Wendy said happily. "You know magic, too?"

"Yes, Peter taught me, why didn't you tell me about my parents?" Jane asked an unresponsive Wendy before she noticed Gold.

"And what is he doing here?" Jane asked as she raised her dagger and readied a fire ball in her hand to be launched towards Gold.

"Whoa there," David said as he, Emma, Neal, and Wendy all moved into the line of fire to stop Jane from inflicting any damage.

"He threw me off a cliff," Jane said angrily, trying to find a window to throw her fire ball at Gold.

"You threw her off a cliff?" Emma asked Gold.

"My deepest apologies for that, it was truly meant for Pan," Gold said.

"Jane, I'm sure Gold is truly sorry for what he did, but we need your help," Emma said.

"Help with what?" Jane asked, lowering her weapons.

"Defeating Pan."

Emma explained the whole situation to Jane and Pan's actual intentions with Henry's heart who eventually agreed to helping them.

"All this time, even before I left Neverland, I thought Peter was doing this to save the island," Jane said.

"So you did know Henry," Emma said.

"No. Peter was searching for the heart of the truest believer before I even got to here. He never mentioned a name. He just told me he needed it to save the island and magic," Jane explained.

"Well, you're not the only one Pan has lied to," Gold said. "So will you help us save Henry or not? Time is running out."

"I'll help," Jane said. "And you're sure we can make it back to Storybrooke?"

"Once we get Henry, we'll be on our way from this place," Emma said with a reassuring smile.

"Great, but I'll need to get a few things from my tree house," Jane said.

"I don't think we have enough time for that, lass," Hook said.

"Then I'll meet you at Skull Rock," Jane said before running into the forest.

Once Jane left, Wendy gave them one more piece of information.

"You have to go now," Wendy said. "If Pan succeeds and has the heart of the truest believer, then Pan's heart and Jane's heart will be intertwined."

"Intertwined?" Neal repeated.

"Since Aura, Jane's mom, resides in both Jane and Henry's heart, the power Pan absorbs from all of Neverland will strengthen the connection. They will become one, and the chances of defeating Pan will be close to none."

"Then we better hurry," Emma said before they ran off as well.

* * *

Jane returned to her tree house and hurriedly put everything she wanted to bring in her bag. In the midst of her packing, she felt a sharp pain in her heart. The pain quickly faded away, and Jane shrugged it off as a heartburn. She continued to pack and made sure to pack Henry's book, Jefferson's hat, Michael's teddy bear, and some other items before heading off to Skull Island. She flew across the water with the help of her newfound power and reached the shore in a matter of minutes.

The line drawn in the sand was mostly erased by footsteps and Jane figured the others were able to bypass Pan's protection spell. She hopped over the partial line and made her way up the steps until she heard Henry's voice.

"Why would they lie?" Jane heard Henry say.

"Because that's what adults do, Henry," Pan said.

"But I'm not an adult," Jane chimed in as she completely made her way up the stairs. Everyone turned to Jane who started cautiously walking towards Pan and Henry until she stopped a few feet away from the two. "I don't what your parents told you already, but you should listen to them."

"Jane, I could save everyone, I could save you. Pan told me more about you and your parents and how you _are_ magic, but magic is dying," Henry said, convinced by Pan's lies.

"That's not true. Magic isn't dying, neither am I. He's dying," Jane said, shooting Pan a death glare. "And if you won't believe an adult, believe me. I know we only met a few days ago, but I understand what it's like to be given up, if anything I've lived through that situation four times, and I know that desire to be a hero. But being a hero doesn't always require proof, sometimes you could be a hero without even realizing it."

"Henry," Regina pleaded. "You have to believe us."

"You're parents don't care about Neverland, Henry. They know if you give your heart to save it, then you'll have to stay," Pan told him. "They're being selfish because they don't want to lose you."

"Henry, you have to trust us," Emma said.

"Trust?" Pan yelled. "I am the only one who's ever been honest with you, Henry. The only who ever believed in you."

"Don't believe him, Henry," Jane said. "That's what he told me before he sent me through a portal."

"This is your choice, not theirs," Pan said, ignoring what Jane said. He glanced towards the giant hourglass as did Jane. The glass was almost empty. "You have to choose now. We're running out of time."

"Henry, remember what I said back at my tree house. Remember what you promised," Jane said. "You have to believe us."

"Because we believe in _you_ Henry," Neal said.

"And because we love you," Emma said.

"More than anything," Regina added.

"I love you, too," Henry said. "Including you Jane."

Jane gave Henry a confused look. "You may not remember it, but we actually met several years ago," Henry explained. "But I have to save magic. I'm sorry."

"No, no, no!" Everyone shouted.

Jane made one last lunge towards Henry before it was too late. Henry pushed his heart into Pan and a wave of green energy knocked everyone to the ground. Regina, Emma, and Neal were able to get up, but Jane and Henry remained still. The three rushed towards Jane and Henry to see if they were okay, but no matter what they tried, neither child would wake up.


End file.
